Verse and Poetry
Our first acquaintance with poetry is made through nursery rhymes. Many collections of nursery rhymes may be had. And there are also a number of very charming picture books of simple verse, suitable for small readers, such as Miss Kate Greenaway's
Mother Goose.
Marigold Garden.
Under the Window.
A. Apple Pie.
Mr. Walter Crane's
Baby's Opera,
Baby's Bouquet,
and various toy books.
Four favorite books of comic verse are Edward Lear's
Book of Nonsense.
More Nonsense.
Nonsense, Songs and Stories.
Four books, more recent, which come nearer to poetry than anything already mentioned, are—
| Verses for Children | By | Mrs. Ewing. |
| Sing Song | " | Christina G. Rossetti. |
| Lilliput Lyrics | " | W. B. Rands. |
| A Child's Garden of Verses | " | R. L. Stevenson. |
A large collection of verse of the kind already described, with the addition of ballads, open-air rhymes, animal verses and other matter—intended to pave the way to real poetry—exists in
A Book of Verses for Children.
Another Book of Verses for Children,
compiled by E. V. Lucas. After these, we come to collections containing real poetry, two excellent ones being
| The Blue Poetry Book | By | Andrew Lang. |
| A First [Second and Third] Poetry Book | " | M. A. Woods. |
There is also
| Lyra Heroica | By | W. E. Henley, |
a collection for boys. Selections from Tennyson, Browning, and other poets, intended for children, have been made, but most young explorers of poetry like to have the complete works and hunt for themselves. Other popular books of poetry are—
| The Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics. | ||
| Poems Every Child Should know. | ||
| Mr. C. R. D. Patmore's Children's Garland from the Best Poets. | ||
| Miss Agnes Repplier's Book of Famous Verse. | ||
| H. E. Scudder's American Poems. | ||
| The "Original Poems," and Others | By | Jane and Ann Taylor. |
| National Rhymes for the Nursery | " | George Saintsbury. |
| The Ballad Book | " | W. Allingham. |
| Lays of Ancient Rome | " | Lord Macaulay. |
| Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers | " | W. E. Aytoun. |
| The Percy Reliques. | ||
| A Thousand and One Gems of Poetry. | ||
| Scott. | ||
| Longfellow. | ||
| Hood. |
Many boys also like the humorous stories in Barham's Ingoldsby Legends.