A Child's Garden of Verses: A Classic Illustrated Edition (Board book)

by Robert Louis Stevenson (Author), Cooper Edens (Compiler) "When I was sick and lay a-bed, I had two pillows at my head, And all my toys beside me lay To keep me happy..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This beautiful board book features eight of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic poems with antique illustrations by some of the best-known children's book illustrators of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Charles Robinson, H. Willebeek Le Mair and Jessie Willcox Smith. An unforgettable treat for the very youngest readers.

About the Author
Cooper Edens is an author and illustrator who lives in Seattle, Washington. His other books include The Night Before Christmas (0-8118-1712-1), The Glorious Christmas Songbook (0-8118-2204-4), and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (0-8118-2274-5), all published by Chronicle Books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Board book: 20 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811841685
• ISBN-13: 978-0811841689
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #239,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #35 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Stevenson, Robert Louis
  #64 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Stevenson, Robert Louis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Introduction to Robert Louis Stevenson, November 6, 2004

By	Ms. N (USA) - See all my reviews

This is a nice, extra-sturdy book for toddlers. It includes these eight complete poems: The Land of Counterpane, The Lamplighter, Happy Thought, Foreign Lands, The Cow, My Shadow, The Swing, My Bed is a Boat. Most toddlers won't sit still for the complete poems, but you can just read the first few lines until they grow into them, and they'll have fun looking at the pictures. There are various vintage illustrations in full color by different artists including one of a boy in a tree by Jessie Willcox Smith (Foreign Lands), a charming colored drawing of a Mom showing a bird to her four little ones (Happy Thought), a simple but cute picture of a little girl watching a cow (The Cow) and a picture by one of my favorite Child's Garden of Verses illustrators, Eulalie (My Bed is a Boat). Yet, the cutest picture is the one on the cover by Jessie Willcox Smith. It begs one to wonder why they didn't use her pictures for all the poems. This book is a nice size, bigger than most board books, but still small enough to be handled easily by even very young children.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short Version of a Great Stevenson Classic, September 16, 2005

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "RIP MJ" (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Thirty years ago, I was taught to read with this. Different pictures, same poems. I learned to imagine and believe in ordinary, yet beautiful things. Even today, in my own writing, I smile realizing how and when I learned a technique, just by listening to my mother whisper these poems nightly.

Aptly named, RLS has the reader remembering the wonderful days of playing alone and with friends, of delighting in the moment.

This edition only has eight poems. The original collection has many more. As a sampler for your child, this edition may serve well. If you are confident your child will enjoy poetry, buy a longer version, and enjoy many times the pleasure and warmth.

All of these years later, these lines to "The Land of Counterpane" come to mind:

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.

Your child will gain an understanding of classic children's poetry, of the rhythm and rhyme. They sound eloquent aloud, and read gentle at bedtime.

I fullt recommend "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

2.0 out of 5 stars a child's garden of verses, January 21, 2009

By	J. Simmons (NE) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

the book is not what i expected, i had a old book by the same name but it had ,many, many more verses.