POETRY &

THE POEM-MAKERS
LET’S KNOW MORE!
DEVELOPMENT OF POETRY
Poetry for children and adolescents has paralleled closely the development
of prose literature addressed to them.
• Folk rhymes

• Singing games

• Ballads

• Other traditional verses

All of these were originally intended for adults, but which were relegated to
children. Just as the children appropriated in part or in whole some of the
prose classics.
• Robinson’s Crusoe

• Pilgrim’s Progress
DEVELOPMENT OF POETRY

• Poetry in 17th and 18th centuries contained a good

deal which appealed only to the older children.
There was very little which the younger children
could fully enjoy.
• As far back as human documents go, there was very
little genuine poetry written specifically for children
before Dr. Isaac Watts.
Dr. Isaac Watts
● Published his Divine and Moral Songs
Children in 1715.
● These songs are religious nature,
nevertheless, a very appealing to o children.
E.g. ‘A Cradle Hymn’
● He believed that morals and religion could be
directly taught through hymns and songs.
● Many of his works titles like ‘Against Lying’,
‘Against Evil Community’, ‘Examples of Early
Piety’ which served their purpose.
 William Blake
● First of the important English poets to write poetry
for children.
● To Blake, children were not little sinners to be
warned and frightened, but they're happy
possessors of joyous inner wisdom. E.g. Songs of
Innocence in 1789.
● He’s noted for his originality of rhythms and stanza
patterns.
● Nature, simple people’s lives, and laughing children
were his themes and he turned his back on
1757-1827
everything artificial and purely formal.
 William Blake
Some of his notable works are:
● Songs of Experience, which came out in 1794, has a
sharp portrayal of pain and sadness.
● ‘Introduction’ is the title of his first poem in his
Songs of Innocence.
● ‘Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright’ shows hints on the
insoluble question of faith and philosophy.
● ‘The Chimney Sweep’, ‘The Little Black Boy’, ‘Holy
Thursday’ had the feeling of sympathy for the
oppressed. 1757-1827
 Ann and Jane Taylor
• Began to write for children when they were
scarcely more than children themselves.
• Both had warm affection for children and wrote in
such close collaboration throughout their lives
until Jane’s death.
• Their concept of poetry was identical with that of
contemporary writers of didactic stories.
• They also wrote about flowers, birds, moon, sun.,
stars, the seasons, the fields and garden.
1783-1824
 Ann and Jane Taylor
• ‘Original Poems for Infant Minds: By
Several Young Persons’ – first collection of
verses in 1804 with a friend, Ms. Adelaide
O’Keefe.
• ‘Rhymes for the Nursery’ in 1806
• ‘Hymns for the Infant Minds’ in 1808.
• Some of their notable works also include
‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Pretty
Cow.
1782-1866
 Edward Lear
• had no literary forerunner; he was simply himself.
• He was a gifted young English artist who at the age of
nineteen years made colored drawings of birds for the
London Zoological Society and later he was employed by the
Earl of Darby to draw pictures of his family.
• He started his early caricatures with
limericks which were pure unadulterated
nonsense in his Book of Nonsense published
in 1846.
• ‘Nonsense Songs’ – second book in 1871
which were just as nonsensical as the
limericks but they showed coherence and
1812-1888 evidence of plot.
 Edward Lear
• Among the most popular of these were:
"The Owl and the Pussy Cat"
"Mr. and Mrs. Spikly Sparrow"
"The Table and the Chair,"
"The Duck and the Kangaroo."
“Nonsense Alphabet"
"The Jumblies”
“The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker and
the Tongs”
1812-1888 "Limericks"
 Christina Rossetti
• wrote very simple little poems for
children
• possessed much of the spiritual quality
found in William Blake
• She began to write verse when still a
child. She was one of four talented and
artistic children of the Rossetti family
• was a great master of musical language 1830-1894
and metrical arts
 Christina Rossetti
• "Goblin Market and Other Poems“ – first
and most inspired work appeared in 1862
and ten years later when she became more
of an invalid until her untimely death - she
wrote Sing- Song, a collection of little
nursery poems which were pure lyrics and
which she dedicated to the infant son of a
very close friend, Professor Arthur Cayley of
1830-1894
Cambridge.
 Celia Laighton Thaxter
• one of the earliest American writers of verse for
children
• noted for her many beautiful and truthful pictures
of birds and their ways in Stories and Poems, first
published in 1883 which includes such poems as
"The Sandpiper", "Wild Geese", and "The
Sparrows“
• Children are also Mrs. Thaxter's other great love
and she was a close and understanding observer
of them.
1835- 1894
 Robert Louis Stevenson
• occupied a unique place as a writer for children
• He was considered as the first true "poet-laureate" of
children.
• ‘A Child's Garden of Verses’ - was not only regarded as
a classic but it represented a standard of style and
quality for all other writers of children's poetry
• His poems had a true lyrical quality and many had been
set to music. He had the ability to express what the
young child feels and thinks. A Child's Garden of Verses
continues to be one of the favorite books in any child's
library.
1850- 1894
 Laura Elizabeth Richards
• A poet and a musician
• She enjoyed all the benefits of a home of
broad culture with fine family and social
relations.
• She published several collections of songs
and rhymes as well as stories which she
contributed exclusively to the St. Nicholas,
the leading magazine for children

1850- 1943
 Laura Elizabeth Richards
• In My Nursery: A Book of Verse - first book of
verse published in 1890
• The Hurdy-Gurdy – 1902
• Tirra-Lirra: Rhymes Old and New – 1932
• The title of her collections of verses has been
well- chosen and is very suggestive of the
homely flavor of the verses and the inevitable
beat of their rhythm.
• The title sets the key for the tripping songs of
laughter, many of which give delight to most
children. 1850- 1943
 Walter de la Mare
• started the stream of lovely verse
followed by other writers of imagination
• No other poet has shown such great
insight into the fleeting moods and deep-
lying roots of child's nature
• displays his greatest gift in writing about
fairies, woodland spirits and other blithe
spirits in the realm of fairyland.

1873-1956
 Walter de la Mare
• Songs of Childhood – first published
collection of poems in 1901.
• A Child's Day - 1912
• Peacock Pie – 1913
• Down-a-Down Derry: A Book of Fairy
Poems - 1922

1873-1956
Rose Fyleman
• has been affectionately called "Poet of the Fairies.“
• fairies were believable because they mixed openly
in the affairs of modern life, urban as well as
country life
• Her poems had the sense of mystery and
enchantment in them which are enjoyed by children
• “Fairies and Chimneys” – first book of poems in
1918
• Three other volumes of verses followed: The Fairy
Green, The Fairy Flute, Fairies and Friends
 Alan Alexander Milne

• started his literary work by giving his full

attention to the writing of plays
• a very competent writer of light verse
manufactured many "funny" words to increase
rhythmic effects
• “When We Were Very Young’ – first book of
poems in 1924
• “Now We Are Six” - second collection in 1927
• His poems had delightful humor, captivating
rhythms and appealing childish fancies. 1882- 1956
 Rachel Field
• has been most successful in this
genre and her collections
contained numerous poems about
people and objects belonging to
their immediate environment
such as "The Flower-Cart Man",
"Taxis", "Sky- Scrapers", "The
1884-1942 Cuckoo Shop", and many others.
 Dorothy Aldis
• written many short poems for young
people choosing the simple and common
domestic scenes and events which she
portrays with humor and charm
• Her books of verse Everything and
Anything, Here, There, and Every- where,
Hop, Skip and Jump and Before Things
Happen - have been published in one
volume All Together.
Elizabeth Madox Roberts
• published Under the Tree which attracted
attention as the work of an eminent novelist
because of the unique quality of the poems
• Her poems revealed the keen sensitivity to
the sights, sounds, odors, and tactile
sensations associated with rural experiences
which she displayed in simple narrative form
• Among her poems were "The Rabbit," "The
Hens." "The Woodpecker, and "Milking
Time."
 Dorothy Walter Baruch
• one of the modern poets for children who
has made use of her knowledge of child
psychology in her books like Parents and
Children Go to School
• she used free verse in the child's own
manner of speaking
• Some favorites are "The Merry-Go-
Round" and "I Like Automobiles."
Myra Cohn Livingston
• a newcomer to the scene of children's
poetry, has freshness and charm in her
poems.
• Her book, Whispers and other Poems is
filled with laughter, curiosity, gaiety, and
tenderness.
• Her second book, Wide Awake, has many
imaginative and gay poems.
 Mary Ann Hoberman
• another modern poet for children
• Her collection of poems, Hello and
Good- bye, are lyrical, amusing and full
of laughter
• She has also some nonsense poems,
"The Llama who Had No Pajama" and
"The Folk Who Live in Backward Town."
 John Ciardi
• written an engaging book of verse for
young children entitled The Reason for
the Pelican
• He uses imaginary animals with fantastic
names such as "The Saginsack" or the
"Bugle-Billed Bazoo
• Some of his best poems are more
serious, such as the simple Rain Sizes"
and the delightful "How to Tell the Top
of a Hill".
Mother Goose Rhymes
or Nursery Rhymes
LET’S KNOW MORE!
 Mother Goose Rhymes or Nursery Rhymes

Children all over the world

have recited, sang, and
repeated Mother Goose
rhymes, but they have Who was Mother Goose?
never bothered to know
their origin and their Where did she live?
meaning. Most of the
rhymes have been handed
down from generation to
generation.
 MOTHER GOOSE

She is only a myth, a personification of

?
well-loved story- tellers who have existed
since the world began. It was in 1697 when a
French writer, Charles Perrault, published a
collection of fairy tales and named it Comtes
de Ma mere l 'Oye or Tales of My Mother
Goose. Later, John Newberry published a
collection of nursery rhymes called Mother
Goose Melody.
As the Mother Goose rhymes were handed down orally,
they had undergone many changes. The verses reveal
interesting bits of history, old customs, manners and
beliefs. Researches reveal evidences that some of the
rhymes refer to real people and interesting facts. From the
studies of John Bellen-denker in 1834 and Katherine Elwes
Thomas in 1930, it was Anne Boleyn who was the pretty
maid hanging up her clothes and losing her head to the
blackbird headsman. Richard III was probably Humpty
Dumpty who toppled off his throne to his death.
• James Orchard Halliwell published Nursery Rhymes of
England in 1842. Later, he issued Nursery Rhymes and
Nursery Tales of England which is the recognized source of
the authentic versions of English traditional rhymes and in
1897
• Andrew Lang tales published Nursery Rhymes, a collection
of over three hundred rhymes and additional Halliwell
rhymes.
• The latest and most complete collection of rhymes entitled
Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes was published by Iona
and Peter Opie in 1952
The earliest collection of Mother Goose
verses was published by John Newberry in
1765. His collection of nursery rhymes was
entitled Mother Goose Melody or Sonnets for
the Cradle. In 1784, Joseph Ritson published
his Gammer Gurton's Garland or the Nursery
Parnassus.
Qualities of Mother Goose Rhymes:

1. Musical quality
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
 2. Action

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,
Jack jump over the candle- stick.
3. Humor

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King's horses and men cannot
put Humpty Dumpty
back as he was before.
4. Story interest
I have a little pony,
His name is Dapple Gray.
I lent him to a lady,
To ride a mile away,
She whipped him, she lashed him
She rode him through the mire,
I would not lend my pony now,
For all the lady's hire.
 5. Variety of subject matter

A. Animals Baa, baa, black sheep

Have you any wool?
This little pig went to market, Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
This little pig stayed home, One for the master,
This little pig had roast beef, And one for the dame,
This little pig had none. This And one for the little boy
little pig said, "Wee, wee, wee! Who lives down the lane.
I can't find my way home."
Bow-wow-wow,
Whose dog art thou?
Little Tom Tucker's dog,
Bow-wow-wow.
 5. Variety of subject matter

B. Alphabets

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U and V W X Y and Z
Now you know your ABC
Come and play with me.
 5. Variety of subject matter

C. Dialogue Little boy blue,

Come blow your horn,
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you
The sheep's in the meadow,
been?
The cow's in the corn.
I have been to London to visit the Queen.
But where is the boy
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
Who looks after the sheep?
I frightened a little mouse under her
He's under a haystack,
chair.”
Fast asleep.
 5. Variety of subject matter

D. Counting rhymes
One for the money, Two for the show,
Three to make ready, And Four to go.
One, Two, buckle my shoe,
Three, Four, shut the door
Five, Six, pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight, lay them straight.
Nine, Ten, a big fat hen.
 5. Variety of subject matter
E. Games
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady. Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man,
Bake me a cake, as fast as you can;
Pat it, prick it, and mark it with B,
Put it in the oven for baby and me.
 5. Variety of subject matter
F. People

• Little Miss Muffet

• Little Boy Blue
• Jack and Jill
• Olk King Cole
 5. Variety of subject matter

G. Time verses
Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November.

All the rest have thirty-one,

Excepting February alone,

And that has twenty-eight days clear

And twenty-nine in each leap year.

 5. Variety of subject matter

H. Riddles

Little Nancy Etticoat

In a white petticoat,
And a red nose;
The longer she stands
The shorter she grows.
 5. Variety of subject matter

I. Tongue twisters

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter
Piper picked?
 5. Variety of subject matter

J. Weather

Rain, rain go away

Come again another day.
Rain, rain go away
Little Johnny wants to play.
 5. Variety of subject matter

K. Accumulative stories

This is the house that Jack built.

This is the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat that ate the cheese
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat that chased the rat
That ate the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.
 5. Variety of subject matter

L. Singing rhymes

I have two hands, the left and the right,

Hold them up high, So clean and bright,
 Values of Mother Goose Rhymes
Why do children like the rhymes so much?
• Children enjoy the rhymes because of their musical quality, the
repetition and unexpected combinations of sounds, the action and the
presence of familiar characters.
• Mother Goose rhymes serve as an introduction to real poetry.
• They are good for ear-training and for their pleasure and amusement.
• Comprehension of meaning and ability to read are not involved in the
child's enjoyment of the rhymes.
• Teachers recite the rhyme several times and children just follow and
imitate their teachers.