Cautionary Verses

by Hilaire Belloc

An hilarious classic anthology of moral instruction introduced by Quentin Blake. If you are you prone to telling tales or running away then ignore these poems at your peril or you might suffer the same fate as Matilda, Who told lies and was Burned to Death or Jim, Who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a Lion ! First published over a hundred years ago, Hilaire Belloc's tongue-in-cheek poems of moral instruction for children, with amusing illustrations by B.T.B. and Quentin Blake, are as sharp, funny and memorable as ever.

Genres: Poetry, Humor, Fiction, Childrens, Classics, 20th Century, Comedy

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

People considered Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, French-born British writer, as a master of light English prose and also knew widely his droll verse, especially The Bad Child's Book of Beasts in 1896.

Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.

Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.

In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.

Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: mild anti-semitism in some places. e.g. Rebecca, who slammed doors, is killed by a bust of Abraham shaken off by one of her slams. Most young children will not pick that up, but it probably be well to explain it in passing to little readees as thoughtless, typical of the class and times and not vicious. These verses and pictures are otherwise so funny and so memorable that most kids who hear and see them early in life will not forget them. They may wonder later as I did, about Rebecca's mode of exit.

This big book holds more than the Cautionary Verses, which are satires on Victorian and Edwardian instructive moral tales for children like those Dylan Thomas mentions in A Child's Christmas in Wales. In one of my favorite verses, John Vavasour de Quentin Jones hits his uncle in the eye with a thrown stone and is instantly disinherited in favor of his nurse, "who now resides in Portman Square and is accepted everywhere." [quote not checked by me, from memory]. A wonderful different section is the Bad Child's Book of Beasts, pythons, yaks, hippos, many others.

I've not seen modern illustrations, cannot imagine anything better than the originals by B.T.B. Don't settle for anything else. Low on artistic skill, very low, but unforgettable.

The sardonic Roald Dahl tone will likely appeal to children more than to their elders, parents getting consistently pilloried in these poems (but not as badly as aunts).

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original Cautionary Verses are great fun and darkly comic, but the succeeding books brought together in this album edition give diminishing returns. It's hard to see how most of them could still be published today as they are very much products of a very different era.

[Jamie Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quentin Blake's new illustrations are a far cry from BTB's originals, but detract only slightly from what would otherwise be a five-star outing.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilaire Belloc was a serious and eclectic writer: historical works, political essays, and economic articals. He also wrote verses for children, but I doubt if this century's mothers would approve of this 1907 illustrated book of poems. Horrible things happen to children who disobey or do stupid things. There is also a Moral Alphabet. These short poems are clever and humorous. One poem is titled: Matilda Who Told Lies and Was Burned to Death. From the Moral Alphabet: "Q for quinine, which children take with jam and little bits of cake. Moral: How idiotic! Can quinine replace cold baths and good hygiene." He definitely has a weird sense of humor. He also has a following. I pulled this tidbit off Wikipedia. "Four of the Cautionary Tales were set to music by Liza Lehmann in 1909;[2] the famous contralto Clara Butt sang the piece in a successful tour of Britain in the same year.[3] The British actor Stephen Fry recorded a selection of the verses as an audiobook in 1992,[4] and the American artist Edward Gorey (1925–2000) created 61 new illustrations for the book, which were published posthumously in 2002.[5] Pink Floyd writer and singer Syd Barrett used the book as the basis for the song "Matilda Mother" from the 1967 album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.[6]"

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the book is not suitable for smaller kids. "A Lion sprang, and hungrily began to eat The Boy:beginning at his feet"...? And it continues: "Now just imagine how it feels, when first your toes and then your heels, ....are slowly eaten bit by bit"...? Don't you think kids would have nightmares after reading these verses?

But the book has a good moral teaching, other than anti-semitism nuance that one of the comment in the Goodreads I read. On the other hand I think some of the chapters in the book are not easily understood.

[Peter Longden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sealey Challenge Day 18
Book 18 'Cautionary Verses’ by Hilaire Belloc
From Jim meeting an unfortunate end because he let go of his ‘nurse’s hand’ in the first poem, this collection of classic moralistic misadventures is as entertaining as it is shocking: shocking because it seems there is no limit to the misfortunes that Belloc subjects his poetry children to! The verses are classically rhyming, language and contexts reflect his wealthy origins, but the poems are certainly striking compositions and fun situations.
A delights addition to this years #thesealeychallenge.

[Tim Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to give an honest review without acknowledging that this is a book, however entertaining, that is of a bygone time. Written in the early 1900's, this book carries a lot of themes that haven't aged well, but are written with great flow and dark humor.

It's best acknowledging going in that there's a few things modern sensibilities will find distasteful (and quite right tbh), but it doesn't detract from how accomplished Belloc is.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite some very intriguing titles within this collection, in my opinion, the best ones are all in the first section, "Cautionary Tales for Children"...but even some of those do not land with me in 2021. Better to check out Edward Gorey's illustrated version of Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales for Children, which trims the fat and has more comedy in its illustrations.

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim and illustrations must have been the basis of Maurice Sendak’s Pierre. I guess I’ll not yet give away Art’s 1941 edition. Maybe it can go into a box after covid.
Matilda - the boy who cried wolf with the fire brigade. rhymes are incredible.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poem, "Rebecca, Who slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably," taught me an important lesson.

[yasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

More interesting than the lecture on translation I'm currently in.

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool, little book. Loved it.

[Germán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only entertaining, but also very accurate on the dangers that might befall on reckless children

[Emily Millikan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Funny in places, but there's no need to deal with this and its racist bits when you can just read somebody else who's done this much better.

[Alexandria Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of the material is mildly amusing, but the meter seems off to me, and I wince whenever the author attempts a rhyming scheme that isn't a couplet. The pictures are awkwardly placed in the middle of verses. And some of the tales don't seem particularly Cautionary.

It's more enjoyable if I read it out loud, but I was done at the 30% mark.

[Arlian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird little volume. I picked it because this book was a huge influence on Edward Gorey, and you can really tell. He is credited with rediscovering the original volume and bringing it to light. He loved it so much he actually did an edition where he redid all the artwork. This book is very strange, fairly dark, but I'm not actually sure how tongue in cheek it's actually supposed to be.

I give the book overall 4 stars, but this particular edition only 3 (at best). This is the first edition book, published in 1941, which has the original artwork (actually from 1939) in it. Holyshitfuck, some of the art is SUPER offensive and REALLY fucking racist. There are some drawings of Black people that are just awful, truly, truly awful. Like WOAH.

TL;DR: Avoid the first edition of this book, and only read the Edward Gorey one.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of Hillaire Belloc's verses is not really for children, dealing as it does (which is rather acidic, and funny) with the foibles of British High Society in addition to children's and animals' various types of behavior.

I found the copy I read in a primary school library in the Caribbean and can, offhand, think of few other places where it would be less appreciated.

Hillaire's wit is very terse and clever and I imagine he inspired others; he is a precursor to such as Edward Gorey and Shel Silverstein. He is also a bit dated now, of course, and the audience for his jibes at British High Society is more limited than that of his remarks about children in general.

In spite of these few limitations, I found this a quick and entertaining read.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward Gorey must have taken this in with his mother's milk. I certainly did, as we had a tradition in my family of reciting poetry while washing up, and an early gift of a cassette tape of Peter Ustinov reading this excellent book meant that I still have most of these by heart.

If i drink enough gin I might take requests...

The class distinctions exquisitely suggested in the morals of these tales might seem quaintly Edwardian to our sensibilities, but beyond the language as crisp as a granny smith apple you'll find plenty that is still relevant.

Indispensible.

[Senda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the joys of parenthood is to be able to use these thrillingly awful tales of bad children to warp my child the same way that I was warped. Each of those terrible things we tell children -- "your face might get stuck that way," etc. -- is perfectly rendered and entertaining. Charles Augustus Fortesque, the one good boy, was the one extraordinarilytoboring one that no one in my family can remember more than a few lines of. On the other hand, my father can probably still recite from memory the boy who let go of nurse's hand and got eaten by a lion, or the boy who ate little bits of string until they tied themselves in knots inside him.

[Ellee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A predecessor to Shel Silverstein. The Cautionary Tales are the best part of the collection in my opinion. :) There are some illustrations that are offensive by today's standards, but might provide a good bridge to a conversation with children about *why* they're considered in extremely bad taste (at best) and what happened to cause public opinions to change. For the most part, the poetry itself isn't as bad in the places where nationality or race are mentioned & Belloc does take a stab at Western Europeans & their looks and characteristics also. Overall, I'd recommend the Cautionary Tales to fans of Shel Silverstein & the entire work to his more mature fans.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hilarious! It is a book of poems, verses and short stories. It is nominally for kids but has a rather dark undertone so I doubt all parents would consider it suitable for children. My favorite segment was the cautionary short stories for each letter of the alphabet with an accompanying moral that is stated rather bluntly as "MORAL".

I first heard of it because I read that Belloc's "The Bad Child's Book of Beasts" may have influenced Dr. Seuss but after reading it, the funny but dark children's humor also reminds me of Shel Silverstein!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mine was an audiobook selection read by the wonderful Martin Jarvis and Rosamund Ayres. The verse is of course wonderful word play and the come-uppances of those who do not toe the moral line delightfully extreme. It's also interesting to look back at what was considered important.

[Vieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty little verses. Fun to read aloud.

[Jyotismita]

I've learnt a great many lessons thanks to Urmi Bhanja who gifted this invaluable book to me on my birthday.

[Maxfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

simply charming.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! Structured rhyming verses with hints of inspiration from the Brothers Grimm, and I can see possible inspiration for Roald Dahl.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent stuff!

[Melusine Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilaire Belloc's cautionary fables are an absolute gem. They're incredibly funny, very cruel and you just get frustrated he didn't write more.