A Child's Garden of Verses, Robert Louis Stevenson, Book

Synopsis

"The Land of Counterpane," "The Land of Nod" and 62 other poems voice the many moods and currents of a child's imaginings. Reprinted in large, easy-to-read type, with new illustrations.

Annotation

A collection of poems evoking the world and feelings of children.

Publishers Weekly

Rendered in brilliant candy-shop colors, Joanna Isles's folk-art designs, whimsical characters and striking typestyles put a beguiling face on a beloved work: Abrams's edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses glows with charm and vitality.

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Biography

The Victorian poet and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson once said, "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." The author of the magical A Child's Garden of Verses and the chilling The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson indeed planted powerful literary seeds -- that grew into undisputed classics.

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Customer Reviews

Number of Reviews: 7
Average Rating:
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Beyond Outstanding!!
A reviewer, A dad w/an audience of one son, 05/26/2007

This poetry is not only for children to read, but also for them to relate to and learn from. All children should own this book.

Also recommended: When We Were Very Young, Wonderful Stories From Skog Forest, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Good to Whet Your Appetite
A reviewer, A reviewer, 04/25/2005

I used to read the full copy to my nieces. When my daughter was born, I searched for another full copy. Only the board book was available at the time so I bought it, figuring the highlights were better than nothing. I'm still buying the full copy because some of my favorite verses aren't included in this version. But a great start if you haven't read this before. And the board book format is a hit with the little ones.

More Customer Reviews

Fact File

Name:
Robert Louis Stevenson

Also Known As:
Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson (full name)

Date of Birth:
November 13, 1850

Place of Birth:
Edinburgh, Scotland

Date of Death
December 03, 1894

Place of Death
Vailima, Samoa

Education:
Edinburgh University, 1875

Biography

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in 1850 in Edinburgh. His father was an engineer, the head of a family firm that had constructed most of Scotland's lighthouses, and the family had a comfortable income. Stevenson was an only child and was often ill; as a result, he was much coddled by both his parents and his long-time nurse. The family took frequent trips to southern Europe to escape the cruel Edinburgh winters, trips that, along with his many illnesses, caused Stevenson to miss much of his formal schooling. He entered Edinburgh University in 1867, intending to become an engineer and enter the family business, but he was a desultory, disengaged student and never took a degree. In 1871, Stevenson switched his study to law, a profession which would leave time for his already-budding literary ambitions, and he managed to pass the bar in 1875.

Illness put an end to his legal career before it had even started, and Stevenson spent the next few years traveling in Europe and writing travel essays and literary criticism. In 1876, Stevenson fell in love with Fanny Vandergrift Osbourne, a married American woman more than ten years his senior, and returned with her to London, where he published his first fiction, "The Suicide Club." In 1879, Stevenson set sail for America, apparently in response to a telegram from Fanny, who had returned to California in an attempt to reconcile with her husband. Fanny obtained a divorce and the couple married in 1880, eventually returning to Europe, where they lived for the next several years. Stevenson was by this time beset by terrifying lung hemorrhages that would appear without warning and required months of convalescence in a healthy climate. Despite his periodic illnesses and his peripatetic life, Stevenson completed some of his most enduring works during this period: Treasure Island (1883), A Child's Garden of Verses (1885), Kidnapped (1886), and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).

After his father's death and a trip to Edinburgh which he knew would be his last, Stevenson set sail once more for America in 1887 with his wife, mother, and stepson. In 1888, after spending a frigid winter in the Adirondack Mountains, Stevenson chartered a yacht and set sail from California bound for the South Pacific. The Stevensons spent time in Tahiti, Hawaii, Micronesia, and Australia, before settling in Samoa, where Stevenson bought a plantation called Vailima. Though he kept up a vigorous publishing schedule, Stevenson never returned to Europe. He died of a sudden brain hemorrhage on December 3, 1894.

Author biography from the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Good to Know

It has been said that Stevenson may well be the inventor of the sleeping bag -- he described a large fleece-lined sack he brought along to sleep in on a journey through France in his book Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes.

Long John Silver, the one-legged pirate cook in Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, is said to be based on the author's friend William Ernest Henley, whom he met when Henley was in Edinburgh for surgery to save his one good leg from tuberculosis.

Stevenson died in 1894 at Vailima,, his home on the South Pacific island of Upolu, Samoa. He was helping his wife make mayonnaise for dinner when he suffered a fatal stroke.

From the Publisher

This classic treasury by Robert Louis Stevenson invites children to take their first steps into the immense world that lies before them. Illustrated with more than 100 pictures by the most distinguished children's book illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this stunning edition brings together some of the world's best-loved poems and most enchanting art.

Lavishly illustrated, this collection contains all the poems that appeared in the original edition published more than a century ago. Children's imaginations can roam freely through simple, evocative verses that explore the wonders of exotic lands, the magic of day passing into night, the sheer joy of swinging through the sun-filled air, and the coziness of dreaming in front of a fire on a winter's night. The pictures, brimming with color and lush detail, brilliantly capture this universal splendor of a child's imaginative world.

Publishers Weekly

Rendered in brilliant candy-shop colors, Joanna Isles's folk-art designs, whimsical characters and striking typestyles put a beguiling face on a beloved work: Abrams's edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses glows with charm and vitality.

Publishers Weekly

A plethora of poetry books arrive just in time for National Poetry Month. Now available in a board book edition, A Child's Garden of Verses, compiled by Cooper Edens, pairs eight of Robert Louis Stevenson's poems with turn-of-the-century illustrations to captivate a child's imagination. For instance, "Happy Thought" ("The world is so full of a number of things,/ I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings") is embedded like a placard within a pen-and-ink by E. Mars (1900), while opposite, a 1940 illustration by Ruth Mary Hallock depicts a happy assembly of children and kittens, gathering for a snack break after a game of croquet. (Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature

These classic poems and the equally classic illustrations have been repackaged in a board book format. The poems are fairly complex even for an older reader and the idea that they will be appreciated and understood by children under the age of four seems to be a bit of a stretch. Perhaps the soothing sounds are sufficient and perhaps it is never too soon to introduce complex language, but I do think children of this age will get a lot more enjoyment out of simple nursery rhymes. This board book, in my opinion is really not one I would select for young children. It may be quite useful in programs where children who are older cannot handle regular books and it may even appeal to grandparents and great-grandparents who enjoy looking at the pictures created nearly 100 years ago. 2004 (orig. 1989), Chronicle Books, Ages 6 mo. to 4.

Children's Literature

A whole new generation of children and their parents will delight in discovering this reissue of Stevenson's poetry. Where else can one find such an excellent description of a child enjoying a ride on a swing, having fun with his/her shadow, erecting a wondrous city made of blocks, or sharing time with an imaginary playmate. The whole world opens up in such poems as "Foreign Lands," "Picture Books in Winter," and "My Bed is a Boat." A child's imagination is perfectly portrayed in "The Little Land" as the little boy closes his eyes and goes sailing off to the forest and fairyland and eventually returns home. The illustrations in both black-and-white sketches and full color perfectly capture the mood and action of each poem. Every picture is filled with details to enhance the words that illuminate the timelessness of childhood. A copy of this title should be in every collection, both in libraries and homes. Reviewer: Sylvia Firth

Customer Reviews

Number of Reviews: 7
Average Rating:
Write a Review

Showing 1-5 Next

Beyond Outstanding!!
A reviewer, A dad w/an audience of one son, 05/26/2007

This poetry is not only for children to read, but also for them to relate to and learn from. All children should own this book.

Also recommended:�When We Were Very Young, Wonderful Stories From Skog Forest, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Good to Whet Your Appetite
A reviewer, A reviewer, 04/25/2005

I used to read the full copy to my nieces. When my daughter was born, I searched for another full copy. Only the board book was available at the time so I bought it, figuring the highlights were better than nothing. I'm still buying the full copy because some of my favorite verses aren't included in this version. But a great start if you haven't read this before. And the board book format is a hit with the little ones.

Amazing
Amber, child, all grown up, 04/15/2004

I have a copy of this book (The full version) that was printed in around 1916, it is falling apart at the bindings because of being read so much. A lot of the reading was before my time, but a lot was after as well. I am twenty now, and I still enjoy reading this book. My mother read it to me before I could read it myself. I have quite a few of the poems memorized, and I look forward to reading this to my neice and my children when I have my own. Buy this book and read it to little ones of all ages, it is wonderful and amazing.

A 53 year old Grandmother
Kathi, A reviewer, 01/27/2003

I read this book as a child and read my copy to my own children. Somewhere along the way I lost my book. When my first grandchild was born nine years ago, I tried to find it again in the bookstores. It was not available and I turned to another, similar book. It is not nearly as good. I am thrilled to find "A Child's Garden of Verses" again. It is wonderful literature and our children today need that. I can still recite some of the poetry even after all these years. Kudos--don't ever let it go out of print.

timeless
Katie and Jenna, A reviewer, 05/30/2002

My mother read this book to my brothers and I. I am now reading it to my daughter. I read several poems to my 13 mo. old daughter every night. The rhythm of each verse calms her and gets her ready for bedtime.

Showing 1-5 Next

Product Details

ISBN: 1402750625
ISBN-13: 9781402750625
Format: Hardcover, 108pp
Publisher: Sterling Publishing
Pub. Date: September 2007
Sales Rank: 21,450
Age Range: 3 to 7

Table of Contents

	Bed in Summer	9
	A Thought	10
	At the Seaside	11
	Young Night Thought	12
	Whole Duty of Children	13
	Rain	14
	Pirate Story	16
	Foreign Lands	18
	Windy Nights	20
	Travels	21
	Singing	23
	Looking Forward	24
	A Good Play	25
	Where Go the Boats	26
	Auntie's Skirts	27
	The Land of Counterpane	29
	The Land of Nod	30
	My Shadow	32
	System	35
	A Good Boy	36
	Escape at Bedtime	38
	Marching Song	40
	The Cow	42
	Happy Thought	44
	The Wind	46
	Keepsake Mill	48
	Good and Bad Children	49
	Foreign Children	50
	The Sun's Travels	52
	The Lamplighter	53
	My Bed is a Boat	54
	The Moon	57
	The Swing	58
	Time to Rise	59
	Looking-Glass River	60
	Fairy Bread	62
	From a Railway Carriage	64
	Wintertime	65
	The Hayloft	66
	Farewell to the Farm	68
	North-West Passage
1	Good Night	69
2	Shadow March	70
3	In Port	71
	The Child Alone
	The Unseen Playmate	74
	My Ship and I	75
	My Kingdom	76
	Picture Books in Winter	78
	My Treasures	80
	Block City	81
	The Land of Storybooks	82
	Armies in the Fire	84
	The Little Land	86
	Garden Days
	Night and Day	90
	Nest Eggs	92
	The Flowers	94
	Summer Sun	96
	The Dumb Soldier	98
	Autumn Fires	100
	The Gardener	102
	Historical Associations	104
	Envoys
	To Willie and Henrietta	106
	To my Mother	107
	To Auntie	108
	To Minnie	110
	To my Name-Child	113
	To any Reader	116
	Acknowledgements	118
	Robert Louis Stevenson	120
	A Short Biography

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, Gyo Fujikawa (Illustrator)

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Annotation

Publishers Weekly

Biography

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Biography

Good to Know

From the Publisher

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature

Children's Literature

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