A Puffin book of verse / compiled by Eleanor Graham ; with decorations by Claudia Freedman

by Eleanor Graham

The anthology is divided into ten 1. the seasons 2. of birds and beasts 3. ballads and stories 4. homely things 5. holiday mood 6. magic and romance 7. night 8. sweet content 9. Christmas 10. praise and thanksgiving

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Eleanor Graham was a book editor and children's book author. She became an editor for Heinemann and Methuen Publishing and a reviewer of children's books for papers such as The Sunday Times. During the Second World War, she became editor of Penguin's children's imprint Puffin Books. After her retirement in 1961, she received the Eleanor Farjeon Award from the Children's Book Circle.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have read from this book for years and always find something new. Here we first came across Matilda

Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
The effort very nearly killed her,

and so on, a very fun poem to read with lots of capitals to help you emphasise. There are lots of our favourites, I like the categories - The Seasons, Of Birds and Beasts, Ballads and Stories, Homely Things, Holiday Mood, Magic and Romance, Night, Sweet Content, Christmas, and Praise and Thanksgiving. There is so much in this book, ideal to read one a day from.

[Pollymoore3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes favourites Naomi Mitchison's "Spring", and Dekker's "Art thou poor, yet hast thou golden slumbers?". It is a familiar theme in poetry (eg: Bunyan's "He that is down needs fear no fall" and Pope's "Happy the man whose wish and care") but it does resonate with me. I’m far from being a minimalist (“Haven’t you got enough ornaments?” a friend once said half-jokingly), but I find there are lots of things I can quite happily do without.