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260th out of 2,745 books
—
4,929 voters
A Child's Garden of Verses
All the joys and sorrows, fears and fantasies of an imaginative solitary child are brought together in this edition of a much-loved classic. Stevenson's timeless verses bear witness to a happy childhood and create a treasure garden for every child to explore.
Hardcover, 72 pages
Published
February 1st 1999
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
(first published 1885)
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I have to say that I don't love the poems in this collection and not just because some are old fashioned and/or culturally insensitive, but mainly because they just don't really appeal me all that much. BUT having said that the illustrations by Tasha Tudor are to die for! They are really the main reason why I wanted this book and I why I'm glad I own it. We've enjoyed just flipping through the pages and talking about all of the lovely drawings. And it's not that the poems are awful, I just don't...more
4 likes · like · see review
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When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.
* * * * *
I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.
Once upon a time, when I was a child home sick from school, my mother encouraged me to memorize this poem. I had no idea what a counterpane was, thinking all along that it may have had some connection with a windowpane. Only years lat...more
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.
* * * * *
I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.
Once upon a time, when I was a child home sick from school, my mother encouraged me to memorize this poem. I had no idea what a counterpane was, thinking all along that it may have had some connection with a windowpane. Only years lat...more
3 likes · like · see review
Absolutely wonderful!
A Child's Garden of Verses is a read that reminds me of all the little experiences as a child!
Sometimes we see the moon, we see the weathered patterns, and we see the happy thoughts resonate into actions, but do we ever know where they spring from? They don't lodge themselves from the grabs of young imagination, but this is a phase that truly continues to grow.
You grow old towards the genuine reality, and repose of life, but are you enjoying it?
Do not be afraid of living fo...more
A Child's Garden of Verses is a read that reminds me of all the little experiences as a child!
Sometimes we see the moon, we see the weathered patterns, and we see the happy thoughts resonate into actions, but do we ever know where they spring from? They don't lodge themselves from the grabs of young imagination, but this is a phase that truly continues to grow.
You grow old towards the genuine reality, and repose of life, but are you enjoying it?
Do not be afraid of living fo...more
Aug 14, 2012
Jessica
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
poetry
I would not recommend this book to children. Though it might be a fun read aloud to very young children who do not understand words very well yet because of the well-crafted rhythms and rhymes, most children would not understand these poems on their own. Some of them are simple enough that they would make sense, but many deal with things that were part of the English way of life back in the late 1800s when this collection was written. The coming generation of children will not understand many of...more
Who wrote, "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings"? Did you guess Robert Louis Stevenson? Poetry is not my favorite form of literature. However, Stevenson is one of my best-loved authors, and I have always liked his poetry because, unlike some other poetry that I have read, it makes sense to me. One of my favorites is “The Swing”:
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
...more
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
...more
My grandma gave me this book when I was very young. I read it around ages 6-7 years-old. It made me happy to be young and now it makes me want to be that young again. It was strange how easily I could identify with the young Robert Louis Stevenson. I could absolutely understand his annoyance at being sent to bed while it was still light in summer and I just wanted to be there with him. When I read it back now I am reminded of the innocence of being so young, something that I didn't think about o...more
This is the most beautiful, most wonderful book of poetry I know of. The poems are short and perfectly sweet and imaginative. The hardest part is choosing which edition to read because so many different artists have illustrated it. I think the Classic Illustrated edition is my favorite. I also love the Brian Wildsmith version, but there are many others you can see on Amazon.com to choose what pictures you like best. Some versions contain the complete poems from the original Child's Garden of Ver...more
May 24, 2012
Dee Ann Waite
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
All
Recommended to Dee Ann by:
My daughter
'A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES' will transport you back to a time when a bedsheet and a few dining room chairs was all the boat you needed to have rollicking adventures on the high seas! This poetry touches on all of the things so enthralling to little boys and girls. Pirates and sailing ships, the seaside, distant stars, toy soldiers, galloping horses, howling dogs, imaginary playmates, the moon, explorers, Indians, swings, and fairies are all childhood fascinations that find their way into Steven...more
Stevenson canta con genuinità i piaceri dell’infanzia. Protagonisti assoluti sono il bambino con i suoi giochi, la nurse, il giardino che ogni volta ospita avventure diverse, quindi a volte è oceano, la volta dopo deserto. E i genitori, che per una buona volta non sono aridi e troppo cresciuti; riescono ad accettare il passare del tempo e a trattenere l’amore che esso lascia dietro di sé nella sua veloce fuga. In questa raccolta si ritrovano i dolci momenti dell’infanzia raccontata da Blake e li...more
2 likes · like · see review
Apr 03, 2008
Joanna
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-lit-picturebook,
poetry
This was another book for my recent children's lit class, but I wasn't so crazy about it. Stevenson is a great author (
Treasure Island
), but these poems were a little bit too sappy-sweet for me. They reminded me of the types of poetry that Lewis Carroll mocks. They seemed technically sound, but they just didn't appeal to me . . . I'm more of a Shel Silverstein kind of gal.
1 like · like · see review
I give this book two stars and I think that is being pretty darn generous. The poetry is very old-fashioned and filled with difficult words--words that are even difficult for me like "paven pools" and "gabies". I doubt these will show up on future SAT's. The poems are good if you are old enough to understand them, but the children they are meant for are probably too young for them.
We read Gyo Fujikawa's edition. The illustrations are so cute but, despite being drawn by a Japanese-American woman...more
We read Gyo Fujikawa's edition. The illustrations are so cute but, despite being drawn by a Japanese-American woman...more
Tasha Tudor is the kind of benign, crazy, old lady that I will likely become. Living in Vermont in a period house, wearing turn of the century clothing and doing everything as it was done back when, (seriously, everything - churning her own butter included) it's not surprising that her books evoke a gentler time and sensibility. She's a modern day Beatrix Potter.
1 like · like · see review
Poetry
Summary: This book is comprised of many different children's poems.
Sounds: This book of poetry is mainly written in verses.
Images: Images in this book were very easy to picture not just from the illustrations but also from the words it self. The poems did a great job at painting a very clear picture.
Insight: A lot of these poems seemed to be very similar and very dry! I do not think they were very up lifting and they really didn't expand my awareness or give me much insight to any of the...more
Summary: This book is comprised of many different children's poems.
Sounds: This book of poetry is mainly written in verses.
Images: Images in this book were very easy to picture not just from the illustrations but also from the words it self. The poems did a great job at painting a very clear picture.
Insight: A lot of these poems seemed to be very similar and very dry! I do not think they were very up lifting and they really didn't expand my awareness or give me much insight to any of the...more
Ratings aren't particularly helpful with a book of children's poetry like this. If you like it then you must have been exposed to this before the age of eight and are looking back with nostalgia. It's true that there is much that seems outdated and only fit for parody - nursie, lamplighters and such - but it also has a timeless quality and a capacity to delight or it wouldn't still be read 130 years on. I'll try and quote from memory:
When I'm grown to man's estate
I shall be tall and very great
I'...more
When I'm grown to man's estate
I shall be tall and very great
I'...more
These poems are heavily influenced by who illustrated them. These illustrations are somewhat more robust than is implied by the words. The cover picture is of a pudgy little flower-crowned girl. The 'number of things' are much more realistic than the dreamy text would suggest.
Only in "The Land of Counterpane" does one really get an idea of the sickly, pale little boy Stevenson was probably harking back to when he wrote the original poems; and even so, it's noteworthy that the boy is quite a bit...more
Only in "The Land of Counterpane" does one really get an idea of the sickly, pale little boy Stevenson was probably harking back to when he wrote the original poems; and even so, it's noteworthy that the boy is quite a bit...more
Nov 29, 2008
Wayne
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who has some modern children's poetry nearby as an antidote.
Recommended to Wayne by:
my interest in Robert Louis
Shelves:
poetry,
children-s-books
I really tried to give this at least TWO stars, but when you're really glad you have finished a book I think that's a pretty good indication of the star rating.
Perhaps it might be thought that a poetry book should be read in small bites??
Yes, much poetry is dense in terms of compacted thoughts and image and metaphor. After reading one Shakespeare sonnet(reviewed) one has to gasp for breath. (What was that semi-trailer that just passed over me!??!!) An immediate reread is necessary. The syntax(w...more
Perhaps it might be thought that a poetry book should be read in small bites??
Yes, much poetry is dense in terms of compacted thoughts and image and metaphor. After reading one Shakespeare sonnet(reviewed) one has to gasp for breath. (What was that semi-trailer that just passed over me!??!!) An immediate reread is necessary. The syntax(w...more
2 likes · like · see review
As a child it was my Mom who who read to me many bedtime stories, except for Christmas eve when my Dad would read us "The Night before Christmas", and every so often, my Dad would read from this book! His favorite was "The Lamplighter" The book had beautiful illustrations and I can still hear my Dad saying with great voice inflection "O Leerie I'll go round at night and light the lamps with you". Some other favs of mine in this book: The Swing,The Wind, My Bed is a Boat, My Shadow, The Land of C...more
I must say I hate poetry in all its forms, it seems a perversion of literature to me. I only picked this up because a line from the poem 'My Kingdom' caught my eye in a quote from A History of Reading and it felt just right to describe the escapism of reading. To say the least I was disappointed to find that the beautiful description of escapism was used in reference to a child's imaginary play things.
That being said, I still recognize that this poetry is well written, classic, and would be of i...more
That being said, I still recognize that this poetry is well written, classic, and would be of i...more
This is the first book I remember my mom reading to me. There is this one illustration of A child holding a lantern and creeping down a dark hallway, it scared the balls off of me. It's a very important memory for me.
1 like · like · see review
Oct 18, 2012
Nancy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
poetry
This is a book I remember fondly from my first grade class at the Wm M. Stewart School, which was on the University of Utah campus. We had a young women professor with a PHD, who came and read to our class. She first read us verses from A Child's Garden of Verses. The following was one of my favorites, and I used to sing it as I was up in the air on a swing.
The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing? Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleassantest thing Ever a child can do!Up in t...more
The Swing
How do you like to go up in a swing? Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleassantest thing Ever a child can do!Up in t...more
Over my life I've seen this book, and never picked it up because I didn't ever like the cover. To me they always looked too sickly sweet and sappy. Actually by far most of the poems in here are excellent - perfectly descriptive of childhood and it's perspectives. They transport you - wonderfully into the realm of imagination - right at the engaging level of a small child. Kids aren't stupid, they're just young and naive and innocent. Their observations and "take" on life are often so wise and fu...more
I love this book. Addie's great-grandma gave it to her when she was born, but I had never pulled it out. It was a beautiful book (not kids book to rip and chew on) and I just didn't think she would be interested in it. I thought I'd pull it out when she was older. Well, I just pulled it and and I LOVE it! The illustrations are beautiful and the poems are so fun! Addie and I just sat done and read a bunch today. I'm usually not a poetry person. But this is making me into one. Who knew Robert Loui...more
This is a sentimental review because of how personally I cherish this collection. My grandfather had a old edition of this book like from the 1940s and whenever my sister and I slept over, he would read the different poems over and over again until we fell asleep. So to say I adore this book is a bit of an understatement as I can't read the poems without hearing my grandpa's voice. The poems themselves are utterly charming, harking back to an older childhood, perhaps a more innocent one, a time...more
I'm surprised at how Zach sits and loves to listen to these, perhaps for the song-like quality of the poems, because some of them are quite long. This is a book I choose to read to the kiddos even if it is supposedly too late. :o)
The depth of this author's talent is so evident, just from this collection of poems, mainly about his childhood. I was sad to return it to the library today, and may add it to my book wish-list. I loved reading these to my children, in installments, and though Zach didn...more
The depth of this author's talent is so evident, just from this collection of poems, mainly about his childhood. I was sad to return it to the library today, and may add it to my book wish-list. I loved reading these to my children, in installments, and though Zach didn...more
I have a beautiful old version of this that I read as a child (I think it might have been my Mum's it certainly wasn't given to me,it was in the house when I was growing up). It might have been the first book of poetry I ever read but it has certainly stayed with me. Some of the poems I not only remember but I can visualise how the look on the page.
The love of poetry has stayed with me and for that alone I think this book will always be special to me.
If you want a book of traditional poetry, th...more
The love of poetry has stayed with me and for that alone I think this book will always be special to me.
If you want a book of traditional poetry, th...more
Feb 05, 2013
Hailey
added it
2. If I could find a a higher tree
Farther and farther I would see
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships,
I thought that he felt good, he felt like an adult because he did something he thought he was to small for. It made me feel like when i was a kid and felt to small do do anything and when i finally could do it, I felt great about it because i accomplished something that I thought i couldn't do. So when he said that if he could find a bigger tree to see farther and fart...more
Farther and farther I would see
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships,
I thought that he felt good, he felt like an adult because he did something he thought he was to small for. It made me feel like when i was a kid and felt to small do do anything and when i finally could do it, I felt great about it because i accomplished something that I thought i couldn't do. So when he said that if he could find a bigger tree to see farther and fart...more
Apr 07, 2013
Carolyn Mccargish
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
children-s-literature,
children-s-litereature
The genre of "A Child's Garden of Verses" is poetry.
The book "A Child's Garden of Verses" is about the emotions of an imaginative solitary child. The story is a classic of childhood memories. The author Robert Louis Stevenson creates a happy environment for children to explore through their imagination. The poems are old fashioned as well as culturally diverse. Although, I enjoyed reading the poems which brought back memories of my children's childhood.
I rated the book "A Child's Garden of Ver...more
The book "A Child's Garden of Verses" is about the emotions of an imaginative solitary child. The story is a classic of childhood memories. The author Robert Louis Stevenson creates a happy environment for children to explore through their imagination. The poems are old fashioned as well as culturally diverse. Although, I enjoyed reading the poems which brought back memories of my children's childhood.
I rated the book "A Child's Garden of Ver...more
Stevenson can not simply sit quietly on a shelf. His works beg to be lifted and opened for new worlds to discover. As a child, he was lonely and ill and many of the poems in this collection for children exude that sense of isolation.
I'm sure everyone has their favorites, but mine was always THE LAMPLIGHTER. At my school in Melbourne, we would have a midday break of tea and biscuits, and my teacher would recite the beginning of this poem. It was Stevenson's ode to a world quickly changing, as ele...more
I'm sure everyone has their favorites, but mine was always THE LAMPLIGHTER. At my school in Melbourne, we would have a midday break of tea and biscuits, and my teacher would recite the beginning of this poem. It was Stevenson's ode to a world quickly changing, as ele...more
My version is the one with the art noveau illustrations, it has a red cloth cover and my mom owned it as a little girl so either she or her 8 siblings were the one(s) who made additions to the illustrations in blue ink pen. The language is "old-timey" and several of the lines make no sense at all to children these days so they are great for discussing "A long, long time ago" without having to invoke Disney and princesses. They also hold up great (somewhat subtle) gender stereotypes of the time w...more
Along with Stevenson’s beautiful imagery and simplistic style, children will be enchanted by the illustrations of Brian Wildsmith, an award-winning illustrator whose whimsical and colorful style of creating adds intrigue and depth to this collection of poetry. Stevenson’s use of language may be difficult for children to follow, but Wildsmith will hold their attention with his unique style. Favorites in the collection that are sure to please include Summer Sun, Escape at Bedtime, Pirate Story, an...more
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Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of...more
More about Robert Louis Stevenson...
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of...more
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3 trivia questions
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“In winter I get up at night,
and dress by yellow candlelight,
In summer, quite the other day,
I have to go to bed by day”
—
1 person liked it
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and dress by yellow candlelight,
In summer, quite the other day,
I have to go to bed by day”
