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The Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America
In the tradition of Iona and Peter Opie's Oxford Book of Children's Verse comes this anthology by the award-winning poet and children's book author Donald Hall. Bringing together "poems written for children and also poems written for anybody which children have enjoyed," the book includes anonymous works, ballads, and recitation pieces, beginning with the Calvinist verses of the seventeenth century.
Hall has collected poems from Sunday School magazines, Christmas annuals for children, and children's periodicals such as St. Nicholas and Youth's Companion. Many marvelous writers, some no longer remembered, wrote almost every month for these nineteenth and twentieth century publications. In addition to the expected names of Longfellow and Whittier, we find Sarah Josepha Hale ("Mary Had a Little Lamb"), Mary Mapes Dodge (creator of Hans Brinker), and Palmer Cox (with his marvelous Brownies). Twentieth century authors Ogden Nash, T.S. Eliot, John Updike, Theodore Roethke, to name just a few. The book concludes with the fabulous nonsense of present-day writers like Shel Silverstein and Nancy Willard.
About the
Donald Hall's many books include The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes, Kicking the Leaves, and Ox-Cart Man, which won the Caldecott Medal for children's literature.
Hall has collected poems from Sunday School magazines, Christmas annuals for children, and children's periodicals such as St. Nicholas and Youth's Companion. Many marvelous writers, some no longer remembered, wrote almost every month for these nineteenth and twentieth century publications. In addition to the expected names of Longfellow and Whittier, we find Sarah Josepha Hale ("Mary Had a Little Lamb"), Mary Mapes Dodge (creator of Hans Brinker), and Palmer Cox (with his marvelous Brownies). Twentieth century authors Ogden Nash, T.S. Eliot, John Updike, Theodore Roethke, to name just a few. The book concludes with the fabulous nonsense of present-day writers like Shel Silverstein and Nancy Willard.
About the
Donald Hall's many books include The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes, Kicking the Leaves, and Ox-Cart Man, which won the Caldecott Medal for children's literature.
- GenresPoetry
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
7 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Donald Hall
180 books201 followersDonald Hall was considered one of the major American poets of his generation.
His poetry explores the longing for a more bucolic past and reflects the poet’s abiding reverence for nature. Although Hall gained early success with his first collection, Exiles and Marriages (1955), his later poetry is generally regarded as the best of his career. Often compared favorably with such writers as James Dickey, Robert Bly, and James Wright, Hall used simple, direct language to evoke surrealistic imagery. In addition to his poetry, Hall built a respected body of prose that includes essays, short fiction, plays, and children’s books. Hall, who lived on the New Hampshire farm he visited in summers as a boy, was also noted for the anthologies he has edited and is a popular teacher, speaker, and reader of his own poems.
Born in 1928, Hall grew up in Hamden, Connecticut. The Hall household was marked by a volatile father and a mother who was “steadier, maybe with more access to depths because there was less continual surface,” as Hall explained in an essay for Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series (CAAS). “To her I owe my fires, to my father my tears. I owe them both for their reading.” By age twelve, Hall had discovered the poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe: “I read Poe and my life changed,” he remarked in CAAS. Another strong influence in Hall’s early years was his maternal great-grandfather’s farm in New Hampshire, where he spent many summers. Decades later, he bought the same farm and settled there as a full-time writer and poet.
Hall attended Philips Exeter Academy and had his first poem published at age 16. He was a participant at the prestigious Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, where he met Robert Frost, that same year. From Exeter, Hall went to Harvard University, attending class alongside Adrienne Rich, Robert Bly, Frank O’Hara, and John Ashbery; he also studied for a year with Archibald MacLeish. Hall earned a BLitt from Oxford University and won the Newdigate contest for his poem “Exile,” one of the few Americans ever to win the prize. Returning to the United States, Hall spent a year at Stanford, studying under the poet-critic Yvor Winters, before returning to Harvard to join the prestigious Society of Fellows. It was there that Hall assembled Exiles and Marriages, a tightly-structured collection crafted in rigid rhyme and meter. In 1953, Hall also became the poetry editor of the Paris Review, a position he held until 1961. In 1957 he took a position as assistant professor of English at the University of Michigan, where he remained until 1975. While at Michigan, Hall met the young Jane Kenyon. They later married and, when Hall’s grandmother, who owned Eagle Pond Farm, passed away, bought the farm, left teaching, and moved there together. The collections Kicking the Leaves (1978) and The Happy Man (1986) reflect Hall’s happiness at his return to the family farm, a place rich with memories and links to his past. Many of the poems explore and celebrate the continuity between generations. The Happy Man won the Lenore Marshall/Nation Prize. Hall’s next book, The One Day (1988), won the National Book Critics Circle Award. A long poem that meditates on the on-set of old age, The One Day, like much of Hall’s early work, takes shape under formal pressure: composed of 110 stanzas, split over three sections, its final sections are written in blank verse. The critic Frederick Pollack praised the book as possibly “the last masterpiece of American Modernism. Any poet who seeks to surpass this genre should study it; any reader who has lost interest in contemporary poetry should read it.” Old and New Poems (1990) contains several traditional poems from earlier collections, as well as more innovative verses not previously published. “Baseball,” included in The Museum of Clear Ideas (1993), is the poet’s ode to the great American pastime and is structured around t
His poetry explores the longing for a more bucolic past and reflects the poet’s abiding reverence for nature. Although Hall gained early success with his first collection, Exiles and Marriages (1955), his later poetry is generally regarded as the best of his career. Often compared favorably with such writers as James Dickey, Robert Bly, and James Wright, Hall used simple, direct language to evoke surrealistic imagery. In addition to his poetry, Hall built a respected body of prose that includes essays, short fiction, plays, and children’s books. Hall, who lived on the New Hampshire farm he visited in summers as a boy, was also noted for the anthologies he has edited and is a popular teacher, speaker, and reader of his own poems.
Born in 1928, Hall grew up in Hamden, Connecticut. The Hall household was marked by a volatile father and a mother who was “steadier, maybe with more access to depths because there was less continual surface,” as Hall explained in an essay for Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series (CAAS). “To her I owe my fires, to my father my tears. I owe them both for their reading.” By age twelve, Hall had discovered the poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe: “I read Poe and my life changed,” he remarked in CAAS. Another strong influence in Hall’s early years was his maternal great-grandfather’s farm in New Hampshire, where he spent many summers. Decades later, he bought the same farm and settled there as a full-time writer and poet.
Hall attended Philips Exeter Academy and had his first poem published at age 16. He was a participant at the prestigious Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, where he met Robert Frost, that same year. From Exeter, Hall went to Harvard University, attending class alongside Adrienne Rich, Robert Bly, Frank O’Hara, and John Ashbery; he also studied for a year with Archibald MacLeish. Hall earned a BLitt from Oxford University and won the Newdigate contest for his poem “Exile,” one of the few Americans ever to win the prize. Returning to the United States, Hall spent a year at Stanford, studying under the poet-critic Yvor Winters, before returning to Harvard to join the prestigious Society of Fellows. It was there that Hall assembled Exiles and Marriages, a tightly-structured collection crafted in rigid rhyme and meter. In 1953, Hall also became the poetry editor of the Paris Review, a position he held until 1961. In 1957 he took a position as assistant professor of English at the University of Michigan, where he remained until 1975. While at Michigan, Hall met the young Jane Kenyon. They later married and, when Hall’s grandmother, who owned Eagle Pond Farm, passed away, bought the farm, left teaching, and moved there together. The collections Kicking the Leaves (1978) and The Happy Man (1986) reflect Hall’s happiness at his return to the family farm, a place rich with memories and links to his past. Many of the poems explore and celebrate the continuity between generations. The Happy Man won the Lenore Marshall/Nation Prize. Hall’s next book, The One Day (1988), won the National Book Critics Circle Award. A long poem that meditates on the on-set of old age, The One Day, like much of Hall’s early work, takes shape under formal pressure: composed of 110 stanzas, split over three sections, its final sections are written in blank verse. The critic Frederick Pollack praised the book as possibly “the last masterpiece of American Modernism. Any poet who seeks to surpass this genre should study it; any reader who has lost interest in contemporary poetry should read it.” Old and New Poems (1990) contains several traditional poems from earlier collections, as well as more innovative verses not previously published. “Baseball,” included in The Museum of Clear Ideas (1993), is the poet’s ode to the great American pastime and is structured around t
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 9, 2021
A great collection of poems. Though there were a few that struck off-key for me, there were many that carried my spirit to the upper echelons of human connection.
Poetry has a way of reading deep and soaring high. I shared the best with my kids—who shared with others. God knows, but we have something else to talk about besides rabid headlines. Thank Heaven.
Poetry has a way of reading deep and soaring high. I shared the best with my kids—who shared with others. God knows, but we have something else to talk about besides rabid headlines. Thank Heaven.
January 10, 2026
Editor Donald Hall says it right up front: this is not a collection of the very best of children's poetry- it is not even all poems written specifically for children- it is a selection of the American poetry which was available to and read by children from the 18th century up through the mid 20th century (the last poem in the book is by Jack Prelutsky who was born in 1940). Some of it is great stuff, or at least very good, to be sure, and I dog-eared several pages. Some material I was not impressed with at all. For example, the poems are presented chronologically and there was a section in the middle that seemed to be all nonsense/silly poems, they must have been all the rage; I skimmed over several of those. But there is a wonderful variety of styles, subjects, and authors, both male and female. With its solid, informative introduction, this volume serves as not only a collection of poems, but as a history of the progression and development of poetry for children. There were some familiar works but most of it was new to me. Overall, highly satisfying.
April 20, 2019
So many good poems . It's hard to pick a favorite .
October 22, 2008
This is an anthology of poetry that includes, annonymous works, ballads, and recitation pieces.
The poetry ranged from the 1600's to the mid 1900's. I did not appreciate the earlier poetry as much as the later poetry in this anthology. I especially liked a poem by Jack Prelutsky entitled The Ghoul. I found the poem to be very dramatic and somewhat disturbing. It left a lasting impression. I also thought it was very appropriate for this time of year - Halloween. I think that it is a little too graphic for my kindergarteners, but high school students would enjoy it. It is filled with colorful adjectives that seem to come alive as you read the poem. Students could write their own "Scarey" poem, after reading this one by Prelutsky written in 1940.
The poetry ranged from the 1600's to the mid 1900's. I did not appreciate the earlier poetry as much as the later poetry in this anthology. I especially liked a poem by Jack Prelutsky entitled The Ghoul. I found the poem to be very dramatic and somewhat disturbing. It left a lasting impression. I also thought it was very appropriate for this time of year - Halloween. I think that it is a little too graphic for my kindergarteners, but high school students would enjoy it. It is filled with colorful adjectives that seem to come alive as you read the poem. Students could write their own "Scarey" poem, after reading this one by Prelutsky written in 1940.
February 4, 2016
Favorite poem from this collection:
Antonio by Laura E. Richards
Here are the first through the third verses:
Antonio, Antonio,
Was tired of living alonio.
He thought he would woo
Miss Lissamy Loo
Miss Lissamy Lucy Malonio.
Antonio, Antonio,
Rode off on his polo-ponio.
He found the fair maid
In a bowery shade
A-sitting and knitting alonio.
Antonio, Antonio,
Said, “If you will be my ownio,
I’ll love you true
And I’ll buy for you
An icery creamery conio!”
Antonio by Laura E. Richards
Here are the first through the third verses:
Antonio, Antonio,
Was tired of living alonio.
He thought he would woo
Miss Lissamy Loo
Miss Lissamy Lucy Malonio.
Antonio, Antonio,
Rode off on his polo-ponio.
He found the fair maid
In a bowery shade
A-sitting and knitting alonio.
Antonio, Antonio,
Said, “If you will be my ownio,
I’ll love you true
And I’ll buy for you
An icery creamery conio!”
October 11, 2011
I loved this collection of poems. It had all of the great classics and such a variety. The poems inside were of excellent quality, and are truly timeless. This is one of those books that a teacher could use every year and simply open up and just read a poem a day. I would love to have something like this to use in my classroom.
December 11, 2009
Really enjoyed discovering favorites from childhood in it. His selections are reasonable and generally uplifting in one way or another. A good basic collection to have if you want to start introducing poetry to children.
March 12, 2016
The Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America
Hall, Donald
a good resource for alliteration
Hall, Donald
a good resource for alliteration
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews