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Cautionary Tales
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.
We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.
We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1907
102 people are currently reading
6032 people want to read
About the author
Hilaire Belloc
717 books399 followersPeople considered Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, French-born British writer, as a master of light English prose and also knew widely his droll verse, especially
The Bad Child's Book of Beasts
in 1896.
Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.
Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.
In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.
Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.
Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.
Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.
In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.
Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.
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May 28, 2020
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
Snuggled in a cuddly, loving lap.
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
Pictures for full multi-sensory immersion.
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
Two voices: sometimes taking turns, sometimes in unison.
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
This is the stuff of formative childhood memories.
My father regularly read these poems to me with melodramatic intonation when I was a child. He read (and sung) other things, but these were always the favourites. To this day, I know many of them by heart and I can only hear or read them with his delicious intonation.
Cautionary
Perhaps I have Belloc to thank for the fact I haven’t (yet) died as a result of chewing bits of string, slamming doors, telling dreadful lies, playing with a loaded gun, or running away from my nurse/nanny into the jaws of a hungry lion. Not that I was ever scared by these tales, perhaps in part because each one opens with a spoiler, and thereafter, I knew them anyway. Nor have I suffered deleterious consequences of making faces, throwing stones, or being unable to read.
For a slightly more adult slant on this idea, in prose, see Saki's brilliant short story The Open Window, which I reviewed HERE.
Variety
The cautions are a quirky mix of bizarre, gory, hyperbolic, and (just occasionally) sensible. A few good children do well (obedience leading to inheritance, for example), but they’re less fun. This volume also includes a Moral Alphabet and shorter poems about peers (aristocrats) and beasts, but for us, it was and is about the Cautionary Tales.
Inevitably there are a few duffers, but the best are sublime. Then again, it’s impossible for me to rate these objectively (but I don’t care).
Join in
These are written for performance. Even if you’re alone, read them aloud.
They’re so familiar to me, that it’s easy to give partial quotes and expect others to pick up with instant familiarity. Of course, few do. (It’s similar with Monty Python, Not the Nine O’Clock News, Flanders and Swann, and Yes Minister, amongst others.)
Age
Many of these poems do not sit easily with modern sensibilities, especially the colonial, class, and gender assumptions. The first were published in 1907 as parodies of earlier fare. Even the concept of moralistic tales is perhaps too preachy nowadays. But that’s their charm.
There’s also a dash of knowingness: a cautionary tale (Rebecca, Who Slammed Doors For Fun And Perished Miserably) that includes children being summoned to hear the story just told, and another (R, in the Moral Alphabet) about a reviewer of this very book.
Illustrations
The editions with Edward Gorey illustrations look excellent for anyone wanting a first taste, but they’re not for me. When I strive for objectivity, I grudgingly acknowledge that they’re more aesthetically appealling and skillful. But it’s Lord Ian Basil Gawaine Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood’s (yes, really) line drawings that are indelibly imprinted in my mind, accompanied by my father’s voice.
See also
You can read nearly a dozen of the cautionary tales, with BTB’s illustrations, HERE.
The other comic poems/songs that were the bedrock of my childhood and then my own child’s, are in the Flanders and Swann Songbook (my review HERE).
For a modern and darker twist on these, see Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of the Oyster Boy (my review HERE).
Snuggled in a cuddly, loving lap.
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
Pictures for full multi-sensory immersion.
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
Two voices: sometimes taking turns, sometimes in unison.
Rhyme, rhythm, repetition.
This is the stuff of formative childhood memories.
My father regularly read these poems to me with melodramatic intonation when I was a child. He read (and sung) other things, but these were always the favourites. To this day, I know many of them by heart and I can only hear or read them with his delicious intonation.
Cautionary
Perhaps I have Belloc to thank for the fact I haven’t (yet) died as a result of chewing bits of string, slamming doors, telling dreadful lies, playing with a loaded gun, or running away from my nurse/nanny into the jaws of a hungry lion. Not that I was ever scared by these tales, perhaps in part because each one opens with a spoiler, and thereafter, I knew them anyway. Nor have I suffered deleterious consequences of making faces, throwing stones, or being unable to read.
Matilda
Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one’s Eyes;
…
For once, towards the Close of Day,
Matilda, growing tired of play,
And finding she was left to alone,
Went tiptoe to the telephone
And summoned the Immediate Aid
Of London’s Nobel Fire-Brigade.
...
[Another evening]
That Night a Fire did break out-
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
...
For every time She shouted "Fire!"
They only answered "Little Liar!"
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were burned.
For a slightly more adult slant on this idea, in prose, see Saki's brilliant short story The Open Window, which I reviewed HERE.
Variety
The cautions are a quirky mix of bizarre, gory, hyperbolic, and (just occasionally) sensible. A few good children do well (obedience leading to inheritance, for example), but they’re less fun. This volume also includes a Moral Alphabet and shorter poems about peers (aristocrats) and beasts, but for us, it was and is about the Cautionary Tales.
Inevitably there are a few duffers, but the best are sublime. Then again, it’s impossible for me to rate these objectively (but I don’t care).
Join in
These are written for performance. Even if you’re alone, read them aloud.
The Frog
Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As ‘Slimy skin,’ or ‘Polly-wog,’
Or likewise ‘Ugly James,’
Or ‘Gape-a-grin,’ or ‘Toad-gone-wrong,’
Or ‘Billy Bandy-knees’:
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.
No animal will more repay
A treatment kind and fair;
At least so lonely people say
Who keep a frog (and, by the way,
They are extremely rare).
They’re so familiar to me, that it’s easy to give partial quotes and expect others to pick up with instant familiarity. Of course, few do. (It’s similar with Monty Python, Not the Nine O’Clock News, Flanders and Swann, and Yes Minister, amongst others.)
Age
Many of these poems do not sit easily with modern sensibilities, especially the colonial, class, and gender assumptions. The first were published in 1907 as parodies of earlier fare. Even the concept of moralistic tales is perhaps too preachy nowadays. But that’s their charm.
Lord Finchley
Lord Finchley tried to mend the Electric Light
Himself.
It struck him dead: And serve him right!
It is the business of the wealthy man
To give employment to the artisan.
There’s also a dash of knowingness: a cautionary tale (Rebecca, Who Slammed Doors For Fun And Perished Miserably) that includes children being summoned to hear the story just told, and another (R, in the Moral Alphabet) about a reviewer of this very book.
Illustrations
The editions with Edward Gorey illustrations look excellent for anyone wanting a first taste, but they’re not for me. When I strive for objectivity, I grudgingly acknowledge that they’re more aesthetically appealling and skillful. But it’s Lord Ian Basil Gawaine Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood’s (yes, really) line drawings that are indelibly imprinted in my mind, accompanied by my father’s voice.
The Porcupine
What! Would you slap the Porcupine?
Unhappy child—desist!
Alas! That any friend of mine
Should turn Tupto-philist.*
* From the "tupto"=I strike; "philo"=I love; one that loves to strike; The word is not found in classical Greek, nor does it occur among the writers of the Renaissance—nor anywhere else.
See also
You can read nearly a dozen of the cautionary tales, with BTB’s illustrations, HERE.
The other comic poems/songs that were the bedrock of my childhood and then my own child’s, are in the Flanders and Swann Songbook (my review HERE).
For a modern and darker twist on these, see Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of the Oyster Boy (my review HERE).
August 24, 2016
Thanks to Cecily for pointing me to this book! It was available online at Gutenberg, and I wasted no time in reading it. It is sarcastic, creepy and hilarious in a very English way.
About Jim, who ran away from his nurse:
Matilda, the liar:
But Lord Lundy, who never learned to keep a stiff upper lip as befitted a gentleman, is easily my favourite.
A note: This edition contains illustrations by Basil T. Blackwell. I need to still find the one with illustrations by Edward Gorey.
About Jim, who ran away from his nurse:
With open Jaws, a Lion sprang,
And hungrily began to eat
The Boy: beginning at his feet.
Now just imagine how it feels
When first your toes and then your heels,
And then by gradual degrees,
Your shins and ankles, calves and knees,
Are slowly eaten, bit by bit.
No wonder Jim detested it!
Matilda, the liar:
That Night a Fire did break out—
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw the window up and call
To People passing in the Street—
(The rapidly increasing Heat
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidence)—but all in vain!
For every time She shouted “Fire!”
They only answered “Little Liar!”
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were Burned.
But Lord Lundy, who never learned to keep a stiff upper lip as befitted a gentleman, is easily my favourite.
It happened to Lord Lundy then,
As happens to so many men:
Towards the age of twenty-six,
They shoved him into politics;
In which profession he commanded
The income that his rank demanded
In turn as Secretary for
India, the Colonies, and War.
But very soon his friends began
To doubt if he were quite the man:
Thus, if a member rose to say
(As members do from day to day),
“Arising out of that reply ...!”
Lord Lundy would begin to cry.
A Hint at harmless little jobs
Would shake him with convulsive sobs.
While as for Revelations, these
Would simply bring him to his knees,
And leave him whimpering like a child.
It drove his Colleagues raving wild!
They let him sink from Post to Post,
From fifteen hundred at the most
To eight, and barely six—and then
To be Curator of Big Ben!...
And finally there came a Threat
To oust him from the Cabinet!
The Duke—his aged grand-sire—bore
The shame till he could bear no more.
He rallied his declining powers,
Summoned the youth to Brackley Towers,
And bitterly addressed him thus—
“Sir! you have disappointed us!
We had intended you to be
The next Prime Minister but three:
The stocks were sold; the Press was squared:
The Middle Class was quite prepared.
But as it is!... My language fails!
Go out and govern New South Wales!”
The Aged Patriot groaned and died:
And gracious! how Lord Lundy cried!
A note: This edition contains illustrations by Basil T. Blackwell. I need to still find the one with illustrations by Edward Gorey.
August 23, 2016
One wonders who, with options wide
would name their screaming, new born baby Clyde?
Or
Even Hilaire -- a name so florid, French, and rude,
Seems pre-destined to start a feud.
Or
Inspire a Belle Edward of francs and also quids,
to scribble moral poems to reckless, dirty kids.
But
Scribble poems Hilaire he did, and books and also letters,
This funny man Belloc would often best his betters.
July 18, 2022
I have been experimenting with a new technique for making multimedia LARA books, where I take the audio from a public domain audiobook and use semi-automatic methods to cut it into pieces and attach it to the text. This is one of my first attempts; the audio was recorded by a talented Australian on librivox.org whose handle is "Algy Pug". I used the Audacity tool to mark the places in the audio where I wanted to cut, ran a script to do the actual cutting, ran a second script to send all the pieces to Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, and then ran a third script to align the recognition results with the text I'd downloaded from Gutenberg. Having done the same thing on the first chapter of Proust's Combray and obtained nearly 100% accuracy, I was disappointed to see that Google Cloud found Mr Pug much harder to understand, and I had to do a fair amount of manual cleaning up. Clearly the method still needs more work.
Even if speech recognisers have their reservations about Algy Pug, Not and I think he's absolutely hilarious. (See what I did there?) This is the best reading of Cautionary Tales we've ever heard. Do yourself a favour and spend twenty minutes listening to it now in Chrome or Firefox, you won't regret it. If English isn't your native language, note that you can click on any word and get a list on the right showing all the places it occurs in the text, plus a link to an online dictionary.
Even if speech recognisers have their reservations about Algy Pug, Not and I think he's absolutely hilarious. (See what I did there?) This is the best reading of Cautionary Tales we've ever heard. Do yourself a favour and spend twenty minutes listening to it now in Chrome or Firefox, you won't regret it. If English isn't your native language, note that you can click on any word and get a list on the right showing all the places it occurs in the text, plus a link to an online dictionary.
August 30, 2020
Beware of the spacing that jarringly breaks up some limericks! But I'm glad I've read Hilaire Belloc.
September 18, 2011
If only more parents read this to their little hooligans they might learn to be bad in more original ways.
December 22, 2019
Crikey! No wonder British children were so well-behaved a hundred years ago. They were scared out of their wits by gruesome accounts of what might happen to youngsters who stepped out of line. Assuming, that is, that the book was actually used for the purpose of cautioning children.
At the beginning of the book it says "Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and fourteen years." So it seems the author's intent was clear. For adult readers, it's more of a shabby cousin to some of Shel Silverstein's genius--like a Victorian era version of Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.
There's Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse and was eaten by a Lion.
And Matilda, Who told Lies and was Burned to Death.
And Rebecca, Who slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably.
And quite a few others, including one child who suffers for chewing bits of string. Was that a common form of misbehavior in 1907?
Finally we come to Charles Augustus Fortescue Who always Did what was Right, and so accumulated an Immense Fortune. He's the one held up as a shining example of the rewards of being virtuous. He seems like one of those pretentious, self-righteous little turds that everyone, including the adults, secretly hates.
This is a fun-ish quick read made available thanks to Project Gutenberg.
At the beginning of the book it says "Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and fourteen years." So it seems the author's intent was clear. For adult readers, it's more of a shabby cousin to some of Shel Silverstein's genius--like a Victorian era version of Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.
There's Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse and was eaten by a Lion.
And Matilda, Who told Lies and was Burned to Death.
And Rebecca, Who slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably.
And quite a few others, including one child who suffers for chewing bits of string. Was that a common form of misbehavior in 1907?
Finally we come to Charles Augustus Fortescue Who always Did what was Right, and so accumulated an Immense Fortune. He's the one held up as a shining example of the rewards of being virtuous. He seems like one of those pretentious, self-righteous little turds that everyone, including the adults, secretly hates.
This is a fun-ish quick read made available thanks to Project Gutenberg.
December 1, 2008
I know many of these well enough to recite them. Some of my favourite quotes:
[Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion:]
"Now just imagine how it feels
when first your toes and then your heels
and then by gradual degrees
your insteps, ankles, calves and knees
are slowly eaten, bit by bit!
No wonder Jim detested it!
No wonder that he shouted Hi!
The honest keeper heard his cry
Though very stout, he almost ran
to help the little gentleman!"
[Henry King:]
"Physicians of the utmost fame
Were summoned swiftly but they came
and answered as they took their fees
There is no cure for this disease
Henry will very soon be dead
His parents stood beside his bed
lamenting his untimely death..."
[Charles Augustus Fortescue:]
"And as for finding mutton fat
unappetising, far from that
He often of his own acccord
Would stand beside his father's board
and beg for, if he would not mind
the greasiest morsels he could find"
[Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion:]
"Now just imagine how it feels
when first your toes and then your heels
and then by gradual degrees
your insteps, ankles, calves and knees
are slowly eaten, bit by bit!
No wonder Jim detested it!
No wonder that he shouted Hi!
The honest keeper heard his cry
Though very stout, he almost ran
to help the little gentleman!"
[Henry King:]
"Physicians of the utmost fame
Were summoned swiftly but they came
and answered as they took their fees
There is no cure for this disease
Henry will very soon be dead
His parents stood beside his bed
lamenting his untimely death..."
[Charles Augustus Fortescue:]
"And as for finding mutton fat
unappetising, far from that
He often of his own acccord
Would stand beside his father's board
and beg for, if he would not mind
the greasiest morsels he could find"
March 15, 2024
Mixed bag because it includes collections from several of his books, some for children (which adults will appreciate) and some for adults which referenced unfamiliar British terms/events/people and therefore lessened my ability to appreciate them. They seemed good, but I know I was missing out. It was like reading G.K. Chesterton. I frequently struggle with him as well, but it is worth the effort, but I still wish I knew the 'code' better.
August 3, 2020
And so I stumble through another book of classic children's verse. I do try and educate myself although it is not my express reason for reading it does help fill in the gaps as it were.
And I have to say its jolly good fun along the way (I am sure the content and style of this book is rubbing off on me - which I suspect is not a bad thing depending on who you speak to).
I make no secret that poetry and verse confound me - not through choice I say rather I am just not wired that way. So books like this are of huge help to me as they demonstrate that all is not lost.
There are many tales here I recognise either directly or as re-interpreted tales told by others - either way there is a reason why this is the Children's Classics Library and each page turned seems to reveal a new wonder.
And I have to say its jolly good fun along the way (I am sure the content and style of this book is rubbing off on me - which I suspect is not a bad thing depending on who you speak to).
I make no secret that poetry and verse confound me - not through choice I say rather I am just not wired that way. So books like this are of huge help to me as they demonstrate that all is not lost.
There are many tales here I recognise either directly or as re-interpreted tales told by others - either way there is a reason why this is the Children's Classics Library and each page turned seems to reveal a new wonder.
March 23, 2017
CAUTIONARY TALES FOR CHILDREN, written by Hialaire Belloc, and illustrated by Edward Gorey. (Naturally, it was the Edward Gorey part that had me purchasing this in the first place.)
The stories/punishments for children were amusing--the deadly ones, better ;), but the illustrations by Gorey are what really makes the book a collectible! 3* for text, 5* for illustrations.
The stories/punishments for children were amusing--the deadly ones, better ;), but the illustrations by Gorey are what really makes the book a collectible! 3* for text, 5* for illustrations.
November 14, 2019
Belloc's Tales were originally published in 1907. They're amusing. They are a perfect text for Gorey: a little Old Possum's, a little Gashlycrumb. They are so perfect a text for Gorey's art that I couldn't believe the edition was first published in 2002. I spent longer looking up Belloc and the various editions than I did reading the short book. This just seems so very much like something Gorey would have done in the 50s.
Come to that, he may have done. The Estate released the illustrations for publication without specifying (as far as I can tell) when it was he actually drew them. Maybe they had been lying about for 50 years. Perhaps he drew them even earlier.
Isn't it pretty to think so?
Library copy
Come to that, he may have done. The Estate released the illustrations for publication without specifying (as far as I can tell) when it was he actually drew them. Maybe they had been lying about for 50 years. Perhaps he drew them even earlier.
Isn't it pretty to think so?
Library copy
January 3, 2017
After reading the review of my GR friend Orinoco Womble, I downloaded this little freebie and read it today. There were no illustrations in my copy and the little verses but amusing, but pretty gruesome and certainly not suitable for children!
February 22, 2018
Dated but cute
Evil side of me would love to give these to kids ad scare the living bejesus out of them for doing the actions mentions
I know that’s not what a nice auntie would do
Evil side of me would love to give these to kids ad scare the living bejesus out of them for doing the actions mentions
I know that’s not what a nice auntie would do
January 1, 2017
Ostensibly a children's book, but obviously for adults. It's the kind of thing that would be published in the popular magazines of the day such as Punch or the Spectator. Thanks to Project Gutenberg for this trip down memory lane.
Many years ago when I was a kid, there were a lot of programmes on PBS to encourage kids (and others) to read. I remembered the poem about the boy who slips away from Nanny at the zoo and gets eaten by a lion. I even remembered the illustration; but remember the author I could not, and over the past decades I came to the conclusion I might have dreamed the whole thing. Reading the whole short book took about 15 min, and I also made the acquaintance of "Matilda" who "told such dreadful lies it made one gasp and stretch one's eyes"--a character referenced in a 1970s Masterpiece Theatre play called "Esther Tells Such Dreadful Lies"--when the liar was in reality her elder brother, who told her a lot of codswallop and then laughed when she got in trouble for spreading it. Ah yes...the joy of heartless siblings.
Many years ago when I was a kid, there were a lot of programmes on PBS to encourage kids (and others) to read. I remembered the poem about the boy who slips away from Nanny at the zoo and gets eaten by a lion. I even remembered the illustration; but remember the author I could not, and over the past decades I came to the conclusion I might have dreamed the whole thing. Reading the whole short book took about 15 min, and I also made the acquaintance of "Matilda" who "told such dreadful lies it made one gasp and stretch one's eyes"--a character referenced in a 1970s Masterpiece Theatre play called "Esther Tells Such Dreadful Lies"--when the liar was in reality her elder brother, who told her a lot of codswallop and then laughed when she got in trouble for spreading it. Ah yes...the joy of heartless siblings.
May 28, 2020
I love this book, but only gave it 4 stars because it was entirely too short. It took 5 minutes to read! With that said, the poems in here were illustrated by Edward Gorey, and are highly Goreylike aside from that. I almost suspect he wrote these under a pen name despite the fact that Belloc is a well-known author and even Gorey wouldn't dare. It would be like making your own movie and calling yourself Alfred Hitchcock. But I digress. This is a great volume of poetry for those who value reading material like Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes and More Ruthless Rhymes.
August 23, 2018
I read this before breakfast and laughed my head off.
August 30, 2018
You know these poems will be amusing just by reading the titles:
1) JIM, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion
2) HENRY KING, who chewed bits of string, and was early cut off in dreadful agonies
3) MATILDA, who told lies, and was burned to death
4) FRANKLIN HYDE, who caroused in the dirt and was corrected by his uncle
5) GODOLPHIN HORNE, who was cursed with the sin of pride, and became a boot-black
6) ALGERNON, who played with a loaded gun, and, on missing his sister was reprimanded by his father
7) HILDEBRAND, who was frightened by a passing motor, and was brought to reason
8) LORD LUNDY, who was too freely moved to tears, and thereby ruined his political career
9) REBECCA, who slammed doors for fun and perished miserably
10) GEORGE, who played with a dangerous toy, and suffered a catastrophe of considerable dimensions
11) CHARLES AUGUSTUS FORTESCUE, who always did what was right, and so accumulated an immense fortune
1) JIM, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion
2) HENRY KING, who chewed bits of string, and was early cut off in dreadful agonies
3) MATILDA, who told lies, and was burned to death
4) FRANKLIN HYDE, who caroused in the dirt and was corrected by his uncle
5) GODOLPHIN HORNE, who was cursed with the sin of pride, and became a boot-black
6) ALGERNON, who played with a loaded gun, and, on missing his sister was reprimanded by his father
7) HILDEBRAND, who was frightened by a passing motor, and was brought to reason
8) LORD LUNDY, who was too freely moved to tears, and thereby ruined his political career
9) REBECCA, who slammed doors for fun and perished miserably
10) GEORGE, who played with a dangerous toy, and suffered a catastrophe of considerable dimensions
11) CHARLES AUGUSTUS FORTESCUE, who always did what was right, and so accumulated an immense fortune
April 11, 2018
This book lives at my grandparents house. I remember always asking my Grandpa to read it to me whenever I stayed over night.
The tales were fun and for a child my age (5-7?), they were believable and frightening in a silly/fun way.
I know my grandpa enjoyed reading these to me as much as I enjoyed listening to them, this will always be a childhood book I will remember, with fond memories of staying round my grandparents at such a young age.
It’s one of those memories where you remember what things looked like and seemed like as a child. I remember the house seeming very different and much bigger as a child, all the rooms seemed different. Things change as well as our perspectives as we grow older...but it’s fun to remember how we viewed things and places as a young child.
A very nostalgic book.
The tales were fun and for a child my age (5-7?), they were believable and frightening in a silly/fun way.
I know my grandpa enjoyed reading these to me as much as I enjoyed listening to them, this will always be a childhood book I will remember, with fond memories of staying round my grandparents at such a young age.
It’s one of those memories where you remember what things looked like and seemed like as a child. I remember the house seeming very different and much bigger as a child, all the rooms seemed different. Things change as well as our perspectives as we grow older...but it’s fun to remember how we viewed things and places as a young child.
A very nostalgic book.
June 23, 2018
5* art
4* poems
I had to watch Squirt's face while I read this one to him. Would he be upset by the idea of a lion eating a child? Apparently not. What about a child burning to death in a house fire? No reaction. Well, he was doing somersaults on the bed in between looking at the pictures, if that can be considered a reaction. Then there was the one about a boy who was playing with a loaded gun and aimed it at his sister (and missed)...yeah. That one got a response. "If you see a gun or a match, Mom, leave it alone. Don't touch it. Put it in the garbage." Well. I'm not sure what to think. I'm probably a Very Bad Parent for reading this to Squirt. It's interesting, back in the day when this was written, a book with the title "Everybody Poops" would've been scandalous.
4* poems
I had to watch Squirt's face while I read this one to him. Would he be upset by the idea of a lion eating a child? Apparently not. What about a child burning to death in a house fire? No reaction. Well, he was doing somersaults on the bed in between looking at the pictures, if that can be considered a reaction. Then there was the one about a boy who was playing with a loaded gun and aimed it at his sister (and missed)...yeah. That one got a response. "If you see a gun or a match, Mom, leave it alone. Don't touch it. Put it in the garbage." Well. I'm not sure what to think. I'm probably a Very Bad Parent for reading this to Squirt. It's interesting, back in the day when this was written, a book with the title "Everybody Poops" would've been scandalous.
June 23, 2020
I read these poems to my boys during dinner tonight. Almost didn't....but then my eldest was pretending to chop my feet off and I figured he was ready. Not exactly a treasure trove for good parenting or spiritual truths...but usually pretty entertaining! Recently, I created a Lego persona for my boys named Blockman...who always has dibiously planned adventures that end in tragic death (like skydiving without a parachute, or diving into am empty pool), so they were probably primed by that, too.
March 5, 2018
What a delightful book! I have to admit, "Matilda," the first poem of Belloc's I ever read, is still my personal favourite, but the rest of this collection did not fail. I love all the illustrations as well. I can't wait to teach this in my classroom.
July 11, 2019
Tales about naughty kids & their tragic ends, to make them & other children learn a lesson. My favorite one was of Matilda's.
This is the book >> https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27424...
This is the book >> https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27424...
June 12, 2021
A quick free read from Amazon!
Lesson learned--hold hands with Nurse at the Zoo.
Someone should do an update of this with Cautionary Tales for Seniors.
Lesson learned--hold hands with Nurse at the Zoo.
Someone should do an update of this with Cautionary Tales for Seniors.
February 6, 2017
Delightfully dark and twisted - like all good books for kids should be.
July 28, 2022
The LARA edition is marvellous. The timing tends to be a bit odd at times, but I think I like it even more because of it. Thank you for sharing this work with the world, Manny. Please post more.
I actually wasn't aware there was an entire GENRE composed of this type of thing, especially not dating back to the early 1900s. My first foray into the theme was when I was young; "Scary Poems for Rotten Kids." And then in adulthood, I discovered Edward Gorey and a Tiger Lillies album titled "The Gorey End." All relatively modern productions. I am elated with the new knowledge that MORE exists for me to munch.
P.S. To whoever has bothered to read this far: I highly recommend listening to The Gorey End if you have willingness/time. For staunch Gorey fans, start with "ABC." (My fave is "Gin.")
I actually wasn't aware there was an entire GENRE composed of this type of thing, especially not dating back to the early 1900s. My first foray into the theme was when I was young; "Scary Poems for Rotten Kids." And then in adulthood, I discovered Edward Gorey and a Tiger Lillies album titled "The Gorey End." All relatively modern productions. I am elated with the new knowledge that MORE exists for me to munch.
P.S. To whoever has bothered to read this far: I highly recommend listening to The Gorey End if you have willingness/time. For staunch Gorey fans, start with "ABC." (My fave is "Gin.")
December 29, 2016
Brilliant little book probably published donkeys years ago about rhyming short snippets / tales for children to heed in life. One of my favourite which I read out to my kids was about a little kid called Jim who ran away from his nurse (carers in today speak) and got eatened by a lion
There was a boy whose name was Jim
His friends were very good to him
They gave him tea and cakes and jam
And slices of delicious ham
And chocolate with pink inside
And little tricycles to ride
They read him stories through and through
And even took him to the zoo
But there it was the awful fate
Befell him, which I now relate
You know (at least you ought to know
For I have often told you so)
That children never are allowed
To leave their nurses in a crowd
Now this was Jim's especial foible
He ran away when he was able
And on this inauspicious day
He slipped his hand and ran away
He hadn't gone a yard when BANG
With open jaws a lion sprang
And hungrily began to eat
The boy, beginning at his feet
Now just imagine how it feels
When first your toes and then your heels
And then by varying degrees
Your shins and ankles, calves and knees
Are slowly eaten bit by bit
No wonder Jim detested it
No wonder that he shouted "Ai"
The honest keeper heard his cry
Though very fat, he almost ran
To help the little gentleman
"Ponto," he ordered as he came
For Ponto was the lion's name
"Ponto," he said with angry frown
"Down sir, let go, put it down!"
The lion made a sudden stop
He let the dainty morsel drop
And slunk reluctant to his cage
Snarling with disappointed rage
But when he bent him over, Jim
The honest keeper's eyes grew dim
The lion having reached his head
The miserable boy was dead
When nurse informed his parents they
Were more concerned than I can say
His mother as she dried her eyes
Said "It gives me no surprise
He would not do as he was told."
His father who was self-controlled
Bade all the children round attend
To James's miserable end.
And always keep ahold of nurse
For fear of finding something worse.
Some of the other good verseses in this short book (which I shamelessly read so as to be able to hit my 100 book a year challenge) were:
• Henry king – who would eat in between meals
• Matilda – who lied all the time.
• Charles August Fortescue – who always did what was right
Cute little book worth a short half hour read.
There was a boy whose name was Jim
His friends were very good to him
They gave him tea and cakes and jam
And slices of delicious ham
And chocolate with pink inside
And little tricycles to ride
They read him stories through and through
And even took him to the zoo
But there it was the awful fate
Befell him, which I now relate
You know (at least you ought to know
For I have often told you so)
That children never are allowed
To leave their nurses in a crowd
Now this was Jim's especial foible
He ran away when he was able
And on this inauspicious day
He slipped his hand and ran away
He hadn't gone a yard when BANG
With open jaws a lion sprang
And hungrily began to eat
The boy, beginning at his feet
Now just imagine how it feels
When first your toes and then your heels
And then by varying degrees
Your shins and ankles, calves and knees
Are slowly eaten bit by bit
No wonder Jim detested it
No wonder that he shouted "Ai"
The honest keeper heard his cry
Though very fat, he almost ran
To help the little gentleman
"Ponto," he ordered as he came
For Ponto was the lion's name
"Ponto," he said with angry frown
"Down sir, let go, put it down!"
The lion made a sudden stop
He let the dainty morsel drop
And slunk reluctant to his cage
Snarling with disappointed rage
But when he bent him over, Jim
The honest keeper's eyes grew dim
The lion having reached his head
The miserable boy was dead
When nurse informed his parents they
Were more concerned than I can say
His mother as she dried her eyes
Said "It gives me no surprise
He would not do as he was told."
His father who was self-controlled
Bade all the children round attend
To James's miserable end.
And always keep ahold of nurse
For fear of finding something worse.
Some of the other good verseses in this short book (which I shamelessly read so as to be able to hit my 100 book a year challenge) were:
• Henry king – who would eat in between meals
• Matilda – who lied all the time.
• Charles August Fortescue – who always did what was right
Cute little book worth a short half hour read.
August 10, 2011
This volume has only 7 of the 12 cautionary tales that Hilaire Belloc wrote - which I discovered after reading reviews here, realizing I hadn't read all 12, and doing some Googling.
The first 3 in this volume were my favorite of the 7: Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion; Henry King, Who chewed bites of String, and was cut off in Dreadful Agonies; and Matilda, Who told lies, and was Burned to Death. That sounds sort of awful, doesn't it?
The illustration by Edward Gorey are a significant enhancement to the poems. They first appear deceptively simple, but if you look at the detail work it's rather impressive. I liked the basic, no-color drawings and the way each page's picture was boxed, with bits coming over the edges. I wish Edward Gorey had created illustrations for all 12 poems. (I presume he did not, since I can't find evidence of anymore than the ones in this printing.)
The first 3 in this volume were my favorite of the 7: Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion; Henry King, Who chewed bites of String, and was cut off in Dreadful Agonies; and Matilda, Who told lies, and was Burned to Death. That sounds sort of awful, doesn't it?
The illustration by Edward Gorey are a significant enhancement to the poems. They first appear deceptively simple, but if you look at the detail work it's rather impressive. I liked the basic, no-color drawings and the way each page's picture was boxed, with bits coming over the edges. I wish Edward Gorey had created illustrations for all 12 poems. (I presume he did not, since I can't find evidence of anymore than the ones in this printing.)
June 30, 2018
I know it's satire but some of it seemed a bit too much. There are different "cautionary tales" about different children in different situation. I don't know if I can articulate how there's a difference between getting eaten by a lion because you weren't listening and being beaten by an uncle because you were too loud but there is definitely is a difference to me. One is silly and outrageous and the other is...not. I love the Gorey illustrations, as always.
September 9, 2013
The English version of Struwwelpeter. I definitely prefer the German version. In the English version the only story I really liked was the one about lying.
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