A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

A child's Garden of Verses is written by Robert Louis Stevenson and illustrated by Ruth Mary Hallock. It was published in 2007 by Barnes & Noble Inc. It is an anthology of poetry. I chose this anthology of poetry before I read the "contemporary" part of this assignment, but I really enjoyed these poems so I decided to write about them. Robert Louise Stevensen writes in a older form of english. He uses words that you do not hear everyday, but this language is what makes his poetry great. These words are what makes his poetry traditionally and stereotypically poetry. He uses apostrophes, similes, personification, repetition and a very traditional rhyme pattern in most all of this poems. In his poem, The Wind he writes "O wind, that sings so loud a song!" This gives the wind human characteristics. This line of the poem is also repeated at the end of every verse. In his poem, My Bed is a Boat he likens his bed to a boat and rhymes about the adventures a little boy takes while he is really asleep. He rarely, if ever, uses alliteration or onomatopoeia. These poems do not relate well to every student. I think most kids will be bored after 2 or 3 of these poems. But, given the right reader and the right context I think a class could appreciate this type of poetry. The book is illustrated by Ruth Mary Hallock. Her drawings are old timey but enchanting. They embody the feel of the poems they illustrate very well. She seems to use drawings and watercolors to get the feel she is looking for. There are not illustrations for every poem in the book. Her drawings are spread out among the poems. While this book has an older feel than some I think the poetry in it is lovely and really embodies what poetry is all about.

One of my favorites is:
Picture-Books In Winter
Summer Fading, winter comes-
Frosty Mornings, tingling thumbs,
Window robins, winter rooks,
And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone
Nurse and I can walk upon;
Still we find the flowing brooks
In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,
Wait upon the children's eye,
Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,
In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are,
Seas and cities, near and far,
And the flying fairies' looks,
In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,
Happy chimney-corner days,
Sitting safe in nursery nooks,
Reading picture story-books?

I like this poem because it shows the mind of a child realizing that time stands still in books. The child is realizing that as the weather and the world changes outside, the world is always the same and always magic inside a book. I love that Stevenson was able to capture this in a poem.