Children’s Books

A Child's Garden of Verses
with a special preface by Mrs. Stevenson

written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated by Jessie Wilcox

“Why,” said a child listening to Stevenson’s poems, “he did all the things that we do!”

These famous poems of childhood owe much of their luminous understanding of children’s play and imagination to the limited childhood spent by Stevenson. Kept indoors during the winter by his health, he learned to notice all the things about him and to live in a world of imagination. In bed he listened to stories told by his nurse, and he looked out the window to see other children at play, or to watch, with fascination the lamplighter coming to the street light near his house. Summer was a more joyous time, for then he could be out-of-doors, and his poems of outdoor play reflect the joy of sailing boats and playing in the meadow with his cousins.

One feature of Stevenson’s poems that is sometimes forgotten is their humor. A gentle, satiric humor such as: “A child should always say what’s true, And speak when he is spoken to, And behave mannerly at table: At least as far as he is able.”

Included in this special edition is a biographical preface written by his wife, Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson.

“A Child’s Garden of Poems” was originally published in 1892. This edition contains all 67 poems, all 86 black-and-white illustrations, and all 13 of original illustrations by Jessie Wilcox Smith (including the original title-page illustration from the 1905 edition.     

“The Sea Fairies” and “Sky Island”, by L. Frank Baum, the author of the famous Oz series (“The Emerald City of Oz,” “Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz,” etc.), were the beginning of a new series of children’s books. 

Mayre Griffiths, nicknamed Trot, or sometimes Tiny Trot, is a little girl who lives on the coast of southern California. Her father is the captain of a sailing schooner, and her constant companion is Cap’n Bill Weedles, a retired sailor with a wooden leg. Trot and Cap’n Bill spend many of their days roaming the beaches near home, or rowing and sailing along the coast.

In “The Sea Fairies” Trot wishes that she could see a mermaid; her wish is overheard, and granted the next day. The mermaids explain to Trot, and Cap’n Bill, that they are benevolent fairies; when they offer Trot a chance to pay a visit to their land in mermaid form, Trot is enthusiastic, and Bill is too loyal to let her go off without him. But the evil Magician Zog is after the mermaids, so what happens when he gets Trot and Cap’n Bill, too?

In “Sky Island” Trot meets a strange little boy with a large umbrella. Button -Bright has been using his family’s magic umbrella to take journeys from his Philadelphia home, and has gotten as far as California. The two children, joined by Cap’n Bill, decide to take a trip to a nearby island; they call it “Sky Island,” because it looks like it’s “halfway in the sky” — but the umbrella takes them to a different place entirely, a literal island in the sky, where they run afoul of the mean  Blues, find equal problems with the nicer Pinks, and must fight a war to get back the Magic Umbrella that the Blues took from them so they can return home.

L. Frank Baum thought “Sky Island” would probably be remembered as his best work.

In making this volume, we discovered that the Gutenberg eBooks are missing text, have run-together paragraphs, and the punctuation has been altered. This volume contains the full text of the original books, published in 1914, and 1920, respectively, as well as all 164 John R. Neill illustrations.

Never have young children had a better picture-book introduction to Mother Goose than this book with its profusely illustrated collection of 21 nursery rhymes.  Brooke’s marvelous draftsmanship and the subtleties of his illustrations, both color and black-and-white, have a clarity that will delight both children and adults. 

A beautiful book to sit down and enjoy with your child, one that should be in every child’s own library. Rhymes included are: The Man in the Moon; To Market, To Market; Simple Simon; There was a Man; The Lion and the Unicorn; Little Miss Muffet; Oranges and Lemons; Goosey, Goosey Gander; Humpty Dumpty; Baa, Baa, Black Sheep; The Three Wise Men of Gotham; This Little Pig Went to Market; Jack and Jill; There was a Crooked Man; Little Bo-peep; Good King Arthur; There was a Little Man; Ring O’ Roses; Hickety Pickety My Black Hen; Cock-a-Doodle-Doo; and Wee Willie Winkie.

Of all the different editions of this classic, none is more treasured than this one, with the 32 gorgeous, soft, full-color full-page paintings, and 58 delicate Black-and-White line drawings that all combine to make the perfect picture-book for young children.

           

When  “The Bobbsey Twins, or Merry Days Indoors and Out”  begins in 1904, Bert and Nan are eight, and Flossie and Freddie are four. The twins have many adventures as they build snow houses, ice boats and kites, and find a mysterious ghost wandering in their house at night. Then, in “The Bobbsey Twins in the Country”, they take a trip to the country to visit their Uncle Daniel and make their own circus, celebrate the Fourth of July, almost burn down their uncle’s barn, and then help save a neighbor's henhouse from washing away in a flood! Finally, in “The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore”, they travel to the seashore to stay at Uncle William"s house where they have more exciting adventures, including digging up treasure, getting lost in a boat, and participating in a parade.

“The Bobbsey Twins, or Merry Days Indoors and Out” was published in 1904 and written by Edward Stratemeyer;   “The Bobbsey Twins in the Country” and  “The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore” were both published in 1907 and written by Lilian C. Garis. 

           

Bert and Nan are now nine, and Flossie and Freddie are five, as they continue their adventures in  “The Bobbsey Twins at School.”  Flossie and Freddie are just starting school, while Bert and Nan are going into Fourth Grade and deal with bullies, have sled races, and find out who set fire to their boathouse.  In  “The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge,” they travel to a lodge in the country during the school holidays and escape a snow slide, get lost in the woods, and solve the mystery of Mr. Carford’s missing money. Finally, in “The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat,” they spend a summer vacation on a Houseboat that seems to be haunted, as things keep disappearing from the kitchen! Plus a mean farmer tries to stop them from taking their houseboat down the river to the lake. How does Mr. Bobbsey deal with this man, who saves Snap when the kitten falls into the river, and who saves Flossie when SHE falls into the river!

“The Bobbsey Twins at School” and “The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge” were published in 1913, while “The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat” was published in 1915. All three were written by Howard R. Garis.

           

In “The Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell’s” the Bunker children are thrilled that Grandma Bell has invited them to visit her home in the woods, but before they go Daddy Bunker accidentally loses some important papers when he gives an old coat to a tramp.  Then Marrgy almost gets left at the train station, Rose thinks her doll has become a real baby, Laddie grabs the wrong daddy at another station, and when they get to Grandma's house, Russ discovers a treadmill in Grandma's barn and can't get off once he starts running. Rose is upset when Russ and Laddie discover a corn shucker and promptly start shucking all the buttons off her doll, Margy discovers that the ram doesn't like her red coat, and they all have fun fishing. And what do you think happens when Russ and Laddie build a dog-cart for Zip the dog and start hunting for the tramp who has their daddy's missing papers?

After leaving Grandma Bell's house, the Bunkers head to Boston to visit their Aunt Jo, where Mrs. Bunker and Rose find someone's lost pocketbook, Russ decides to make a fountain the front yard, and Rose makes an "airship" out of a basket and her brothers' ballons and accidentally launches her doll Lily skyward. Will she ever get her doll back? Will they find the pocketbook's owner? And why did Margy climb into the dumbwaiter?

“The Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell’s” and “The Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo’s” were published in 1918.

            

After their vacation with Aunt Jo, the Bunkers head over to Cousin Tom's at the seashore. There the hunt for buried Pirate treasure, go crab fishing, meet up with a Sallie Growler, get caught on a sandbar as the tide comes in, and discover and then lose a wooden shipping box. Will they ever find the mysterious box again? And what will Violet do when her doll gets lost, and is Rose's locket lost forever?

Finally they decide to return home to Pennsylvania, but who is that waiting for them on their porch? It's Grandpa Ford with a scary mystery about Great Hedge, the farm he just bought for himself and Grandma. It's haunted? Off to the country farm the Bunkers go! With adventures in storms, old spinning wheels, making snowshoes, skates, and ice-boats, not to mention getting lost in a snowstorm, things are never dull for the Bunkers. But will they ever solve the mystery of the ghost haunting Great Hedge?

“The Six Little Bunkers at Cousin Tom's” and “The Six Little Bunkers at Grandpa Ford's” were published in 1918.

           

“Folk and Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know” — In those early days before magazines or newspapers or books the most learned men were ignorant of things which intelligent children know to-day. Only a very few men and women could read or write; and all kinds of beliefs about animals, birds, witches, fairies, giants, and the magical qualities of herbs and stones flourished like weeds in a neglected garden. There came into existence an immense mass of misinformation about all manner of things; some of it very stupid, much of it very poetic and interesting. Below the region of exact knowledge accessible to men of education, lay a region of popular fancies, ideas, proverbs, and superstitions in which the great mass of men and women lived, and which was a kind of invisible playground for children. Much of the popular belief about animals and the world was touched with imagination and was full of suggestions, illustrations, and pictorial figures which the poets were quick to use. 

“Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know”  contains a collection of twenty-four famous fairy tales from a wide array of classical works (Grimm’s Fairy Tales, 1001 Arabian Nights, Hans Christian Andersen, and others), which most parents have told to their children throughout time. These tales are immortal and include: “The Enchanted Stag;” “Puss in Boots;” “Jack and the Beanstalk;” “The Princess on the Pea;” “The Ugly Duckling;” “Beauty and the Beast;” “Hansel and Gretel;” “Jack the Giant Killer;” “The Second Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor;” “The Story of Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp,” and many more. delightful tales.

“Folk Tales Every Child Should Know” similarly pulls from the rich traditions of countries all over the world to deliver twenty classic stories such as: “Why the Sea is Salt;” “The Dragon and the Prince;” “The Story of Tom Tim Tot;” and “The Good Children.”

“Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know” and “Folk Tales Every Child Should Know” were originally published in 1905 and 1912, respectively. This volume faithfully reproduces the stories in those editions, with minor edits to correct some words to a more modern spelling (i.e, changing traveller to traveler).

Long years ago many teachers in central Illinois said: “We want a Kipling book.” The demand was for a book that could be used in each grade of the public schools, if possible in the child’s own hands. The use of “The Just So Stories” and “The Jungle Book” has come more and more into practice through the importunities of teachers. These books have been entered on many school lists as “supplementary” reading. This book is intended to reach the hands of children in lower grades, kindergartens, and nurseries, by its picture pages, which will be supplemented by the reading of the text by teachers or parents.   This book takes the best poems and stories from those volumes and presents them here in one place, providing your child with a wide sample of works from this famous author. After reading this book, your child will want to see and hear more stories like those that first caught his, or her, attention. He, or she, might even be inspired to seek out all the works by Kipling, greatly broadening the horizons of their reading experiences. 

“Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know” is a compilation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” “The Second Jungle Book,” “Just So Stories,” “Departmental Ditties and Ballads and Barrack Room Ballads,” “The Seven Seas,” “The Five Nations,” “Under the Deodars,” “The Day’s Work,” “Captains Courageous,” “Many Inventions,” “The Naulahka,” and “The Just So Song Book.” * * * * “Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know” has appeared in print from Houghton Mifflin Company as a single book, a two volume set, and a three volume set, all with a publication date of 1909. This volume faithfully reproduces the illustrations and stories in those editions, with minor edits to correct some words to a more modern spelling (i.e, changing traveller to traveler).

“Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know” takes the best poems and stories from those volumes and presents them here in one place, providing your child with a wide sample of works from this famous author. After reading this book, your child will want to see and hear more stories like those that first caught his, or her, attention. He, or she, might even be inspired to seek out all the works by Kipling, greatly broadening the horizons of their reading experiences.

“Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know” is a compilation of selected works from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” “The Second Jungle Book,” “Just So Stories,” “Departmental Ditties and Ballads and Barrack Room Ballads,” “The Seven Seas,” “The Five Nations,” “Under the Deodars,” “The Day’s Work,” “Captains Courageous,” “Many Inventions,” “The Naulahka,” and “The Just So Song Book.”

“Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know” has appeared in print from Houghton Mifflin Company as a single book, a two volume set, and a three volume set, all with a publication date of 1909. This volume faithfully reproduces the illustrations and stories in those editions, with minor edits to correct some words to a more modern spelling (i.e, changing traveller to traveler).

“Poems and Famous Stories Every Child Should Know” — Is this another collection of stupid poems and stories that children cannot use? Will they look hopelessly through this volume for poems and stories that suit them? Will they say despairingly, “This is too long,” and “That is too hard,” and “I don’t like that because it is not interesting”? Are there three or four pleasing poems and are all the rest put in to fill up the book? Nay, verily! The poems in this collection are those that children love. With the exception of seven, they are short enough for children to commit to memory without wearying themselves or losing interest in the poem. If one boy learns “The Overland Mail,” or “The Recruit,” or “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” or “The Song in Camp,” or “Old Ironsides,” or “I Have a Little Shadow,” or “The Tournament,” or “The Duel,” nine boys out of ten will be eager to follow him.

“Poems Every Child Should Know” is a collection of 187 famous poems from a wide array of classical and modern works, with such favorites as  “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star;” “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat;” “The Village Blacksmith;” “O Captain! My Captain!;” “How Sleep the Brave;” “Abide With Me;” “A Visit From St. Nicholas;” and “Ozymandias of Egypt.” The authors include Clement Clarke Moore, Henry W. Longfellow, Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sir Walter Scott, Rudyard Kipling,  William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman and 94 others. The book also includes an “Author Index” and a “First Line” index to help locate poems.

“Famous Stories Every Child Should Know”is a collection of eleven stories: “A Child’s Dream of a Star” by Charles Dickens; “The King of the Golden River or, The Black Brothers” by John Ruskin; “The Snow Image: A Childish Miracle” by Nathaniel Hawthorne; “Undine” by Friedrich, Baron De La Motte Fouqué; “The Story of Ruth” From The Book Of Ruth; “The Great Stone Face” by Nathaniel Hawthorne; “The Diverting History of John Gilpin” by William Cowper; “The Man Without a Country” by Edward Everett Hale; “The Nürnberg Stove” by Louise De La Ramée (“Ouida”); “Rab and His Friends” by John Brown, M.D.; and “Peter Rugg, the Missing M” by William Austin. The stories collected in this volume have been selected from many sources, because in the judgment of the editor, they are sound pieces of writing, wholesome in tone, varied in interest and style, and interesting. It is his hope that they will not only furnish good reading, but that they will suggest the kind of reading in this field that should be within the reach of children. 

“Poems Every Child Should Know” and “Famous Stories Every Child Should Know” were originally published in 1904 and 1907, respectively. This volume faithfully reproduces the poems and stories in those editions, with minor edits to the author information, i.e, where the editor originally indicated the author of a piece was still living, we included the date of his, or her, death.

“Myths and Legends Every Child Should Know” is actually two books in one volume: “Myths Every Child Should Know” and “Legends Every Child Should Know.” Both books are compilations of important myths and legends that have been passed down from storyteller to storyteller for thousands of years, and hold stories that, literally, every child should know. As your child grows older, he or she will constantly run into references to characters, items, and situations present in these stories. Things like “the Midas touch” turning everything to gold,  being a Rip Van Winkle and missing things everyone else knows about, or any reference to Pandora’s box. While these stories vary greatly in details; they fit every climate and wear the peculiar dress of every country; it is easy to see that they are made up of the same materials, and they describe the same persons or ideas or things whether they are told in Greece or India or Norway or Brittany. Wherever they are found they make it certain that they come from a very remote time and grew out of ideas or feelings and ways of looking at the world which a great many men shared in common in many places. These stories were selected by H.W. Mabie because they throw light on the mind and character of the ages that produced them; they are part of the history of the unfolding of the human mind in the world; and, above all, they are interesting.

Myths are highly imaginative and poetic explanations of the world — and of the life of man in it — at a time when scientific knowledge and habits of thought didn’t exist. “Myths Every Child Should Know” contains 16 stories: The Three Golden Apples, The Pomegranate Seeds, The Chimæra, The Miraculous Pitcher, The Golden Touch, The Gorgon’s Head, The Dragon’s Teeth, The Paradise of Children, The Cyclops, The Argonauts, The Giant Builder, How Odin Lost His Eye, The Quest of the Hammer, The Apples of Idun, The Death of Balder, and The Star and the Lily.

Legends, on the other hand, have some slight historical basis, are cast in narrative form, and told as a record of fact. They deal with incidents in the lives of holy men, places made sacred by association with holy men, or deal with some popular type of character like Robin Hood or Rip Van Winkle. “Legends Every Child Should Know” contains 19 stories: Wigwam Legend of Hiawatha, Beowulf, Childe Horn, Sir Galahad, The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, Rustem and Sohrab, Guy of Warwick, Chevy Chase, The Fate of the Children of Lir, The Beleaguered City, Prester John, The Wandering Jew, King Robert of Sicily, The Beato Torello Da Poppi, The Lorelei, The Passing of Arthur, Rip Van Winkle, The Gray Champion, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  

“Myths Every Child Should Know” and “Legends Every Child Should Know.” were published in 1905 and 1906, respectively, and this volume contains the complete text in both books, as well as both frontispiece illustrations. 

“Heroes and Heroines Every Child Should Know” — From very early times great honor was paid to courage and strength; qualities which won success and impressed the imagination. The first heroes and heroines were gods or demi-gods, or others, who did difficult things, not for themselves but for others. The men and women whose bravery and great deeds are described in these pages have been selected not because they are faultless in character and life, but because they were brave, generous, self-forgetful, self- sacrificing and capable of splendid deeds. Stories of heroes and heroines have often made others strong and brave and true in the face of great perils and tasks, and this book is put forth in the faith that it will not only pass on the fame of the heroes and heroines of the past but help make heroes and heroines in the present.

“Heroes Every Child Should Know” is a collection of twenty stories about famous heros: Perseus, Hercules, Daniel, David, St. George, King Arthur, Sir Galahad, Siegfried, Roland, King Alfred, The Cid, Robin Hood, Richard the Lion-Hearted, Saint Louis, William Tell, Robert Bruce, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and Father Damien. These men exemplify great courage and perseverance, struggling onward despite great odds against them. Some succeed, some do not, yet they never lose heart.

“Heroines Every Child Should Know” similarly pulls together thirteen heroines: Alcestis, Antigone, Iphigenia, Paula, Joan of Arc, Catherine Douglas, Lady Jane Grey, Pocahontas, Flora Macdonald, Madame Roland, Grace Darling, Sister Dora, and Florence Nightingale. While not as physically strong as the men, these women show great mental and emotional strength, and set examples for how to cope with great stress and criticisms, and how to persevere when everyone else gives up. 

“Heroes Tales Every Child Should Know” and “Heroines Every Child Should Know” were originally published in 1905 and 1908, respectively. This volume faithfully reproduces the stories in those edition.