The Oxford Book of Children's Verse

Iona Opie

Oxford University Press, 1973 - Juvenile Nonfiction - 407 pages

The outstanding verse written for children over the past five hundred years has been assembled here. More than three hundred pieces by 123 named authors, a fifth of them American, are arranged chronologically, from Chaucer and Lydgate to T.S. Eliot and Ogden Nash. Notes on the authors deal in particular with the poems included here.

Contents

• GEOFFREY CHAUCER: 3
• ANONYMOUS: 6
• The Unhappy Schoolboy II: 11
• THOMAS DEKKER: 17
• A Schoolmasters Admonition: 21
• Some Boys: 27
• ABRAHAM CHEAR: 34
• ANONYMOUS: 40
• To Theodora: 47
• HENRY DIXON: 54
• ANONYMOUS: 60
• To a Child Five Years: 66
• Page: 67
• The Stargazer: 76
• The Piper: 84
• JOHN AIKIN: 90
• ROBERT SOUTHEY 92 The Old Mans Comforts and How He Gained Them: 93
• The Cataract of Lodore: 94
• The Babes in the Wood: 97
• WILLIAM WORDSWORTH 95 Lucy Gray or Solitude: 98
• We are Seven: 100
• The Pet Lamb: 103
• Written in the Album of a Child: 105
• First Half: 107
• LUCY AIKIN 99 The Beggar Man: 109
• The Swallow: 110
• SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE ΙΟΙ Answer to a Childs Question III: 111
• A Childs Evening Prayer: 112
• CHARLOTTE SMITH 104 Invitation to the Bee: 113
• ANN TAYLOR 105 My Mother: 114
• Meddlesome Matty: 115
• The Pin: 117
• The Notorious Glutton: 118
• The Babys Dance: 120
• Greedy Richard: 121
• The Star: 122
• ANN AND JANE TAYLOR 113 The Cow: 123
• ADELAIDE OKEEFFE 115 Beasts and Birds: 124
• The Kite: 125
• DOROTHY WORDSWORTH 118 The Cottager to her Infant: 127
• Address to a Child during a Boisterous Winter Evening: 128
• Loving and Liking: 129
• WILLIAM ROSCOE 121 The Butterflys Ball: 131
• CATHERINE ANN DORSET 122 The Peacock At Home: 132
• ELIZABETH TURNER 123 The Canary: 136
• Truth the Best: 137
• How to Write a Letter: 138
• RICHARD SCRAFTON SHARPE 127 The Country Mouse and the City Mouse: 139
• CHARLES AND MARY LAMB 128 Envy: 140
• Choosing a Name: 141
• The Boy and the Snake: 142
• The First Tooth: 143
• Cleanliness: 144
• Going into Breeches: 145
• Feigned Courage: 146
• SIR WALTER SCOTT 135 Lullaby of an Infant Chief: 147
• There was a Naughty Boy: 148
• JOHN HOOKHAM FRERE 138 The Boy and the Parrot: 150
• The Fable of the Piece of Glass and the Piece of Ice: 151
• Anecdotes of Four Gentlemen: 152
• Dame Wiggins of Lee: 153
• CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE: 154
• The Seagull: 161
• Partings: 167
• ROBERT BROWNING: 173
• THOMAS HOOD: 181
• EDWARD LEAR Page 164 Nonsenses: 183
• The Owl and the Pussycat: 185
• The Duck and the Kangaroo: 186
• The Jumblies: 187
• Mr and Mrs Spikky Sparrow: 190
• An Alphabet: 192
• The Pobble who has No Toes: 198
• CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER 171 All Things Bright and Beautiful: 201
• Once in Royal Davids City: 201
• There is a Green Hill: 202
• The Fieldmouse: 204
• HEINRICH HOFFMANN 176 The story of Augustus who would Not have any Soup: 205
• The Story of Johnny HeadinAir: 206
• The Story of Fidgety Philip: 208
• ELIZA COOK 179 The Mouse and the Cake: 209
• THOMAS MILLER 180 Evening: 210
• The Watercress Seller: 211
• LORD TENNYSON 182 Sweet and Low: 212
• Cradle Song: 213
• Minnie and Winnie: 214
• WILLIAM ALLINGHAM 186 The Fairies: 215
• Riding: 216
• Wishing: 218
• Robin Redbreast: 219
• Second Half: 221
• WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY 190 At the Zoo: 223
• Little Raindrops: 224
• The Great Brown Owl: 225
• HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW? 195 There Was a Little Girl: 226
• CHARLES KINGSLEY 197 A Farewell: 227
• Young and Old: 228
• ALBERT MIDLANE 201 Above the Bright Blue Sky: 229
• WILLIAM E HICKSON 202 Walking Song: 230
• CHARLES HENRY ROSS 204 John Tom and James: 231
• A Very Odd Fish: 232
• The Pedlars Caravan: 233
• A Shooting Song: 234
• The Dream of a Boy who lived at Nine Elms: 235
• The World: 236
• Winifred Waters: 237
• SABINE BARINGGOULD 217 Now the Day is Over: 238
• LEWIS CARROLL CHARLES LUTWIDGE DODGSON 218 Your are old Father William: 239
• The Lobster Quadrille: 240
• The Lobster: 241
• The Walrus and the Carpenter: 242
• Humpty Dumptys Song: 245
• The Aged Aged Man: 247
• The Mad Gardeners Song: 249
• MENELLA BUTE SMEDLEY 226 A North Pole Story: 251
• JULIANA HORATIA EWING 227 The Burial of the Linnet: 254
• The WillowMan: 255
• A Friend in the Garden: 256
• The Dolls Wash: 257
• Garden Lore: 260
• ELIZABETH ANNA HART 233 Mother Tabbyskins: 268
• JEAN INGELOW 234 One Morning Oh so Early: 271
• JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER 235 In SchoolDays: 272
• GEORGE MACDONALD 236 Where did you come from baby dear?: 273
• A BabySermon: 274
• JAMES FERGUSON 239 Auld Daddy Darkness: 275
• CHRISTINA ROSSETTI 240 A Crown of Windflowers: 276
• Ferry me across the Water: 277
• The Wind: 278
• What does the Bee do?: 279
• Hope and Joy: 280
• CELIA THAXTER 254 The Sandpiper: 281
• SUSAN COOLIDGE SARAH CHAUNCEY WOOLSEY 255 Measles in the Ark: 282
• ELIZABETH T CORBETT 257 Three Wise Old Women: 284
• Two Little Kittens: 285
• SYDNEY DAYRE MRS COCHRAN 259 A Lesson for Mamma: 286
• Morning Compliments: 287
• LAURA E RICHARDS 261 Mrs Snipkin and Mrs Wobblechin: 288
• Eletelephony: 289
• WILLIAM CORY 265 A Ballad for a Boy: 290
• ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 266 Bed in Summer: 293
• Windy Nights: 294
• The Land of Counterpane: 295
• The Cow: 296
• The Lamplighter: 297
• Time to Rise: 298
• The Dumb Soldier: 299
• JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY 282 Little Orphant Annie: 300
• The Raggedy Man: 302
• EUGENE FIELD 284 Wynken Blynken and Nod: 303
• The SugarPlum Tree: 304
• CHARLES E CARRYL 286 The Camels Complaint: 305
• FRANCIS THOMPSON 287 Ex Ore Infantium: 307
• E NESBIT 288 Childs Song in Spring: 308
• EDWARD ABBOTT PARRY 289 Paters Bathe: 309
• The Jam Fish: 310
• The Frog: 311
• The Vulture: 312
• Matilda Who told Lies and was Burned to Death: 314
• LAURENCE ALMATADEMA 298 If No One Ever Marries Me: 315
• Twentieth Century: 317
• RUDYARD KIPLING 299 The Hump: 319
• Pucks Song: 320
• A Smugglers Song: 322
• The Way through the Woods: 323
• If: 324
• WALTER DE LA MARE 304 Tartary: 325
• John Mouldy: 326
• Alas Alack: 327
• Greedy Jane: 328
• EDWARD THOMAS 312 If I Should Ever by Chance: 329
• What Shall I Give?: 330
• The Night will Never Stay: 331
• Mrs Malone: 332
• ROSE FYLEMAN 319 Fairies: 336
• A Fairy Went AMarketing: 337
• The Fairies Have Never a Penny to Spend: 338
• Temper: 339
• A A MILNE 325 Buckingham Palace: 340
• The Three Foxes: 341
• Vespers: 344
• Us Two: 345
• The Mystery Cat: 346
• The Song of the Jellicles: 347
• OGDEN NASH: 349
• 90: 397
• 57: 401
• 122: 406
• 40: 407

About the author

Iona Margaret Opie was born on October 13, 1923. During World War II, she made meteorological maps in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. She married Peter Opie in 1943. Together they collected children's rhymes, riddles, and street culture. Their books included I Saw Esau, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, The Oxford Nursery Rhyme Book, The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, Children's Games in Street and Playground, and The Classic Fairy Tales. After her husband's death in 1982, she continued the work alone. Her books included The People in the Playground, Tail Feathers from Mother Goose, Here Comes Mother Goose, A Dictionary of Superstitions, and Children's Games with Things. Her son Robert collaborated with her on The Treasures of Childhood. She was made CBE in 1999. She died on October 23, 2017 at the age of 94.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Oxford Book of Children's Verse; Oxford Books of Verse Series
• Author: Iona Opie
• Editors: Iona Opie, Iona Archibald Opie, Peter Opie
• Compiled by: Iona Opie, Iona Archibald Opie, Peter Opie
• Edition: 11, illustrated, reprint, braille
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1973
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Sep 1, 2009
• ISBN: 0198121407, 9780198121404
• Length: 407 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General; Poetry / General