A Child's Garden of Verses

By Robert Louis Stevenson

1957

 


A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my first joke book.  This week, I’m taking a look at my first ever book of poems.  A Child’s Garden of Verses also happens to be one of my mother’s all-time favorite books.  You can read about her list of favorites here.  This particular volume, and the one I remember from my childhood, includes verses selected and beautifully illustrated by Eloise Wilkin.

These illustrations are ingrained on my mind from childhood.  I can recall reading the poems and finding the meaning of the words in the illustrations.  While the language of poetry can be confusing for a young child to grasp, these detailed drawings helped me to see what the poems were saying. 

At the Sea-side

When I was down beside the sea

A wooden spade they gave to me

To dig the sandy shore.

My holes were empty like a cup;

In every hole the sea came up

Till it could come no more.

When I first heard this verse, I hadn’t any experience in digging holes in the sand at the beach.  The illustration taught me the meaning of these words; that the lake or ocean water seeps up from the sand when a deep enough hole is dug.  When I finally was able to go the beach myself, I could connect my experience with the words and the picture. 

With so many of my favorite picture books, even forty years later, I can remember minute details in the illustrations.  

Thinking about this makes me wonder what children without the sense of vision remember about books read to them?  Is it the voice of the loved one who read to them?  Is it the touch of the person whose lap they were in?  Perhaps they have a better recall of the words.  I will have to ask my well-read (and blind) sister-in-law Kathy, who loves books at least as much as I, what she remembers about her favorite childhood books.

Ookpik in the City

By Barbara Shook Hazen

Pictures by Irma Wilde

Copyright 1968

This is not the same Ookpik book I remember from my childhood.  I bought this when my own children were young because I had remembered the cute little furry yellow owl from another picture book.  The book had belonged to my sister and if I remember correctly, the cover of the book had an Ookpik with big plastic googly eyes.  Even better, my sister also had her very own stuffed yellow furry Ookpik, also with big googly eyes.  I think I was a little jealous of her for that!

In this book, Ookpik longs to see more of the world that his land of Arctic snow.  He said goodbye to all his Artic friends and boarded a plane with Princilla, a dog from the big city.  “Tak-vow-woo-shee”, he said.  That’s Eskimo for “goodbye, everyone”.  He gets to experience skyscrapers with neon lights, cement, crowds of people, and ice cream.  Unfortunately, when boarding a subway, Ookpik and Princilla are separated and Ookpik is lost and alone.  While he does find his friend again, Ookpik has realized that he is homesick for his Arctic home and happily returns back to his old friends.

Like me, Ookpik longs for adventure, but also realizes how comforting it is to return home again.  As much as I enjoy vacation, seeing new sights, and hiking new trails, I always look forward to coming home to sit on my own couch while enjoying a cup of tea.

Creativity

 



 














  

I wanted to share a personalized, creative, literary gift I received last week.  Using a list of my favorite books, my daughter crafted these 6 inch x 6 inch pieces of art.  Using text from each of the books along with a related silhouette, she made some lovely art work for me to hang in my home library.  

 Here is the list of books she used:

The Wolves ofWilloughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich 
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Now, all I need are some frames.  Hmmmm, I wonder where I can get some?

The Happy Birthday Present

By Joan Heilbroner

Pictures by Mary Chalmers

Copyright 1962

This book was read to me many times during my early childhood, and read independently many times, too.  I can remember going along with little Davy and his brother Peter while they shopped for the perfect gift for their mother.  They had dreams of finding a wonderful gift at one of the shops in town. (Except the store that sells scrub brushes – Davy didn’t want to go in there.)  At each shop, they found that all the gifts cost too much.  However, along the way they collected little free treasures.  The lipstick at the drug store was too expensive, but Davy was given a free lollipop.  The beautiful hat was also too much, but the feather that fell out of it was free.  They were out of luck at the pet store too, but the man gave them a seashell for free.  

Fortunately, Peter had a great idea.  They made a birthday tree for their mother, from a branch adorned with all the treasures they picked up.  She was thrilled, of course, at the sight of her lovely tree.  

Forty-three years ago today, I woke up to see this birthday tree, draped with little presents chosen just for me (and found on sale, I’m sure!).  I know that I was just as delighted to see it as Davy’s mother was to see hers.  Just look at that grin.  That someone would take the time to let a child know she is loved and thought of on her special day means everything in the world!