Poetry For Children

Poetry for Children by Charles and Mary Lamb opens as a tender, illustrated treasury of simple verse shaped by affection for childhood, Shakespeare, and the moral beauty of ordinary life. Framed by memories of Christ's Hospital, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, the collection recalls the literary circle that nurtured the Lambs' humane imagination and their rare gift for writing for young readers. Within its pages, short poems and fables move easily between play and instruction. Rainbows, the first tooth, the skylark, and a lesson in the Lord's Prayer sit beside meditations on cleanliness, vanity, memory, and repentance. Domestic scenes of siblings, mothers, dolls, and growing children are balanced by darker pieces on drowning, cruelty, and loss, while animal tales of magpies, rooks, sparrows, snakes, and caged beasts expose pride, imitation, and hidden danger. The collection also includes biblical and historical echoes, from David's longing for water to Salome's murderous vanity. Warm, accessible, and quietly searching, these poems offer children delight while inviting adults into their deeper compassion, discipline, and wisdom. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.