Product Description

Compiled by the award-winning poet and author of children's books, Donald Hall, this delightful anthology follows in the tradition of Iona and Peter Opie's classic Oxford Book of Children's Verse. Hall brings together poems written specifically for children and also those written for anyone and enjoyed by children and adults alike. He presents over two hundred fifty poems written by over one hundred different American poets--including anonymous works, ballads, and recitation pieces--that range from the Calvinist verses of the seventeenth century to the fabulous nonsense poems of the present.

Drawing on literally thousands of sources--including Sunday School magazines, Christmas annuals for children, and such wonderful children's periodicals as St. Nicholas and Youth's Companion--Hall gives the modern reader a rich sampling of many poems never before anthologized. He includes everyone's favorites, from Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (a.k.a. "The Night Before Christmas") to the classic lines of Longfellow and Whittier. Along with Sarah Josepha Hale's famous poem, "Mary's Lamb," we find poetry by Emily Dickinson, Mary Mapes Dodge, Palmer Cox, Sarah Orne Jewett, Laura E. Richards, and Gelett Burgess. He also covers the twentieth-century with verse by T.S. Eliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Langston Hughes, Ogden Nash, Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), and Randall Jarrell, just to name a few. Hall concludes with the poetry of present-day writers such as Shel Silverstein and Nancy Willard.

A testament to a captivating tradition in American literature, this anthology will encourage many hours of nostalgic browsing and reading aloud to children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #819662 in Books
• Published on: 1990-12-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
Our Little Ghost by Louisa May Alcott
Rock Me To Sleep by Elizabeth Akers Allen
A Toad by Elizabeth Akers Allen
The Dreadful Fate Of The Naughty Nate by John Kendrick Bangs
The Hired Man's Way by John Kendrick Bangs
If by John Kendrick Bangs
The Little Elf-man by John Kendrick Bangs
At Grandfather's by Clara Doty Bates
Gray Thrums by Clara Doty Bates
John Quincy Adams by Rosemary Carr Benet
Peregrine White And Virginia Dare by Rosemary Carr Benet
A Tiger Tale by John (1865-1956) Bennett
How To Treat Elves by Morris Gilbert Bishop
The Secret Song by Margaret Wise Brown
The Death Of The Flowers by William Cullen Bryant
Robert Of Lincoln by William Cullen Bryant
Limerick by Frank Gelett Burgess
A Low Trick by Frank Gelett Burgess
The Purple Cow by Frank Gelett Burgess
Table Manners by Frank Gelett Burgess
The Camel's Complaint by Charles Edward Carryl
The Walloping Window-blind by Charles Edward Carryl
The Embarrassing Episode Of Little Miss Muffet by Guy Wetmore Carryl
The Sycophantic Fox And The Gullible Raven by Guy Wetmore Carryl
November by Alice Cary
To Mother Fairie by Alice Cary
A Legend Of The Northland by Phoebe Cary
About The Teeth Of Sharks by John Ciardi
Captain Spud And His First Mate, Spade by John Ciardi
The Man Who Sang The Sillies by John Ciardi
On Learning To Adjust To Things by John Ciardi
The Bad Kittens by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
Daniel Webster's Horses by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
The Mouse by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
Nosegay by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
On A Night Of Snow by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
Song Of The Rabbits Outside The Tavern by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
The Storm by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
This Is The Hay That No Man Planted by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
The Snow-filled Nest by Rose Terry Cooke
Owl Feather Time by Helen M. Copeland
A Misspelled Tail by Elizabeth T. Corbett
A Tail Of The See by Elizabeth T. Corbett
The Brownies' Celebration by Palmer Cox
The Lazy Pussy by Palmer Cox
The Mouse's Lullaby by Palmer Cox
The Bear And The Squirrels by Christopher Pearse Cranch
An Old Cat's Confessions by Christopher Pearse Cranch
Incident by Countee Cullen
The Unknown Color by Countee Cullen
Grandma's Lost Balance by Sydney Dayre
A Lesson For Mamma by Sydney Dayre
Autumn by Emily Dickinson
A Book by Emily Dickinson
I'm Nobody! Who Are You by Emily Dickinson
In The Garden (1) by Emily Dickinson
Morning by Emily Dickinson
The Railway Train by Emily Dickinson
The Snake by Emily Dickinson
To Make A Prairie by Emily Dickinson
The Letters At School by Mary Elizabeth Mapes Dodge
Poor Crow! by Mary Elizabeth Mapes Dodge
That's What We'd Do by Mary Elizabeth Mapes Dodge
Growltiger's Last Stand by Thomas Stearns Eliot
Gus: The Theatre Cat by Thomas Stearns Eliot
Macavity: The Mystery Cat by Thomas Stearns Eliot
The Pilgrim by Emma Catherine (manly) Embury
Fable: The Mountain And The Squirrel by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Duel by Eugene Field
Little Boy Blue by Eugene Field
Wynken, Blynken And Nod by Eugene Field
A Circus Garland by Rachel (lyman) Field
Something Told The Wild Geese by Rachel (lyman) Field
The Good Moolly Cow by Eliza Lee Cabot Follen
Blue-eyed Mary by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
Marm Grayson's Guests by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
The Ostrich Is A Silly Bird by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
A Pretty Ambition by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
Columbus To Ferdinand by Philip Freneau
The Rose Family by Robert Frost
A Dakota Wheat-field by Hamlin Garland
Prairie Fires by Hamlin Garland
Too Many Daves by Theodore Geisel
Anna Playing In A Graveyard by Caroline Gilman
The Boat by Caroline Gilman
The Dead Sister by Caroline Gilman
The Dying Child's Request by Hannah Flagg Gould
The Spider by Hannah Flagg Gould
Ancient History by Arthur Guiterman
Habits Of The Hippopotamus by Arthur Guiterman
On The Vanity Of Earthly Greatness by Arthur Guiterman
Mary's Lamb by Sarah Josepha Buell Hale
The Mole And The Eagle by Sarah Josepha Buell Hale
Interview by Sara Henderson Hay
A Bunny Romance by Oliver Brook Herford
The Crocodile by Oliver Brook Herford
The Dog by Oliver Brook Herford
A Kitten's Thought by Oliver Brook Herford
The Musical Lion by Oliver Brook Herford
Cockroach by Mary Ann Hoberman
Combinations by Mary Ann Hoberman
The Folk Who Live In Backward Town by Mary Ann Hoberman
The Deacon's Masterpiece by Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Height Of The Ridiculous by Oliver Wendell Holmes
April Rain Song by James Langston Hughes
Ennui by James Langston Hughes
Hope by James Langston Hughes
Mother To Son by James Langston Hughes
The Negro Speaks Of Rivers by James Langston Hughes
Grab-bag by Helen Maria Hunt Fiske Jackson
September by Helen Maria Hunt Fiske Jackson
Bats by Randall Jarrell
The Chipmunk's Day by Randall Jarrell
An Accomodating Lion by Tudor Jenks
Hard To Bear by Tudor Jenks
A Country Boy In Winter by Sarah Orne Jewett
Mingled Yarns by X. J. Kennedy
One Winter Night In August by X. J. Kennedy
The Whales Off Wales by X. J. Kennedy
The Brown Thrush by Lucy Larcom
Dumpy Ducky by Lucy Larcom
In The Tree-top by Lucy Larcom
Spring Whistles by Lucy Larcom
The Volunteer's Thanksgiving by Lucy Larcom
Factory Windows Are Always Broken by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Flower-fed Buffaloes Of The Spring by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Little Turtle by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Moon's The North Wind's Cooky (what The Little Girl Said) by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Mysterious Cat by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
Poem Game: A King Of Yellow Butterflies by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Children's Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Excelsior by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A Psalm Of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Tales Of A Wayside Inn: 1. Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Wreck Of The Hesperus by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Fountain by James Russell Lowell
Hob Gobbling's Song by James Russell Lowell
Books Fall Open by David Mccord
Cocoon by David Mccord
Perambulator Poem by David Mccord
Singular Indeed by David Mccord
The Walnut Tree by David Mccord
The Adversary by Phyllis Mcginley
Triolet Against Sisters by Phyllis Mcginley
Catch A Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam
Afternoon On A Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Portrait By A Neighbor by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Travel by Edna St. Vincent Millay
A Visit From St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore
Molasses River by Richard Kendall Munkittrick
Old King Cabbage by Richard Kendall Munkittrick
The Redingote And The Vamoose by Richard Kendall Munkittrick
The Song Of The Owl by Richard Kendall Munkittrick
The Panther by Ogden Nash
The Purist by Ogden Nash
The Tale Of Custard The Dragon by Ogden Nash
The Termite by Ogden Nash
The Cooky-nut Trees by Albert Bigelow Paine
The Dancing Bear by Albert Bigelow Paine
Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Ghoul by Jack Prelutsky
The Pancake Collector by Jack Prelutsky
August by Katharine Pyle
The Circus Parade by Katharine Pyle
Clever Peter And The Ogress by Katharine Pyle
The Toys Talk Of The World by Katharine Pyle
Waking by Katharine Pyle
The Wonder Clock, Sels. by Katharine Pyle
A Christmas Folk-song by Lizette Woodworth Reese
A Little Song Of Life by Lizette Woodworth Reese
A Street Scene by Lizette Woodworth Reese
Alibazan by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
Antonio by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
The King Of The Hobbledygoblins by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
The Mermaidens by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
The Mouse by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
The Owl, The Eel, And The Warming-pan by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
Punkydoodle And Jollapin by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
Why Does It Snow? by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
The Days Gone By by James Whitcomb Riley
The Nine Little Goblins by James Whitcomb Riley
The Raggedy Man by James Whitcomb Riley
The Hens by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
Milking Time by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
The Rabbit by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
The Woodpecker by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
Ant-hills by Annie Douglas Green Robinson
The Snow-man by Annie Douglas Green Robinson
The Bat by Theodore Roethke
The Cow by Theodore Roethke
Dinky by Theodore Roethke
The Donkey by Theodore Roethke
The Sloth by Theodore Roethke
Buffalo Dusk by Carl Sandburg
Fog by Carl Sandburg
Sea-wash by Carl Sandburg
Soup by Carl Sandburg
Splinter by Carl Sandburg
The Blind Men And The Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe
Calling The Roll by Nathaniel Graham Shepherd
Baseball by Frank Dempster Sherman
Blossoms by Frank Dempster Sherman
Indian Names by Lydia Huntley Sigourney
Request Of A Dying Child by Lydia Huntley Sigourney
Clarence by Shelby Silverstein
The Dirtiest Man In The World by Shelby Silverstein
Jimmy Jet And His Tv Set by Shelby Silverstein
One Inch Tall by Shelby Silverstein
Sarah Cynthia Slyvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out by Shelby Silverstein
Crocodile by William Jay Smith
The Floor And The Ceiling by William Jay Smith
The Fossil Raindrops by Harriet Prescott Spofford
I Am Rose by Gertrude Stein
Cardinal Ideograms by May Swenson
Living Tenderly by May Swenson
The School-master And The Truants by Charles Remington Talbot
The Falling Star by Sara Teasdale
February Twilight by Sara Teasdale
Full Moon: Santa Barbara by Sara Teasdale
The Cruise Of The Mystery by Celia Leighton Thaxter
Jack Frost by Celia Leighton Thaxter
The Sandpiper by Celia Leighton Thaxter
The Cricket Kept House by Edith Matilda Thomas
Mrs. Kriss Kringle by Edith Matilda Thomas
Darius Green And His Flying Machine by John Townsend Trowbridge
Evening At The Farm by John Townsend Trowbridge
An Abc by Anonymous
John Rodgers' Exhortation by Anonymous
What Became Of Them? by Anonymous
August by John Updike
May by John Updike
The Ambitious Ant by Amos Russel Wells
The Considerate Crocodile by Amos Russel Wells
The Cow-boy's Song by Anna Maria Wells
The Little Maid by Anna Maria Wells
A Baker's Dozen Of Wilds Beasts, Sels. by Carolyn Wells
A Marvel by Carolyn Wells
Puzzled by Carolyn Wells
O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman
Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier
The Barefoot Boy by John Greenleaf Whittier
Firelight by John Greenleaf Whittier
In School-days by John Greenleaf Whittier
Skipper Ireson's Ride by John Greenleaf Whittier
The Day Of Doom, Sels. by Michael Wigglesworth
Then To The Bar All They Drew Near by Michael Wigglesworth
Opposites: 8 by Richard Wilbur
Blake Leads A Walk On The Milky Way by Nancy Willard
The King Of Cats Sends A Postcard To His Wife by Nancy Willard
Ambition by Nathaniel Parker Willis
Charlotte Bronte by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey
Edenhall by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Review
"[Hall's] fascinating anthology will remain valuable, both as a source of the poems we once loved that have vanished from later collections, and as a fascinating and well-researched history of the form."--Alison Lurie, The New York Times Book Review

"Brings out the kid in any of us."--David Lehman, The Washington Post Book World

"I'll return to this book again and again, whether or not I have a child on my knee."--The Christian Science Monitor

"Excellent in every way.... It shows us, as no other evidence could, how often and how greatly our society has changed its conception of the child's mind and world."--Richard Wilbur

"An entertaining collection of old and new, this is an anthology to add to the family library but not to keep on the shelf. Circulate it among family and friends, and, above all, read it aloud."--The Sunday Boston Globe

"Donald Hall has put together a long-needed treasure of a book. At a time when most poetry for children sounds as if it were written by a sponge dipped in sugared milk he has brought together the true best of a great and ignored tradition. I wish every American child could grow up with it. I wish I had it as a child."--John Ciardi

About the Author

Donald Hall is the author of many books, including The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes, Kicking the Leaves, The Man Who Lived Alone, Ox-Cart Man, Anecdotes of Modern Art (co-written with Pat Corrington Wykes), and the forthcoming Old and New Poems.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book of quality poems for schoolage children
This book is for anyone -- parents, educators, or students -- looking for an excellent anthology of high quality poetry for older schoolage children. Several steps beyond the nursery rhyme, it contains many works by famous poets which are readily accessible to chldren in elementary and middle school. This is one you will keep coming back to again and again!! (As a teacher, I find in preferrable to most of the textbook anthologies available in classrooms.)

A wonderful book
As parents of a three-year-old, some of our happiest recent moments have been reading to him from this wonderful collection of poems, which range from Colonial works to Emily Dickenson to Richard Wilbur. Sure, much of it is beyond him now, but he likes the rhythm and rhymes he hears--and he even knows to request "Casey at the Bat." We're pretty sure we're going to get a lot of enjoyable use out of this book in years to come.

A Classic
I remember this book from when I was young. Now I share it with my children, and always buy it for baby gifts. A must to any childs library.