At School.

Five little Girls, sitting on a form,
Five little Girls, with lessons to learn,
Five little Girls, who, I'm afraid,
Won't know them a bit when they have to be said.

For little eyes are given to look
Anywhere else than on their book;
And little thoughts are given to stray
Anywhere ever so far away.

Kate Greenaway

Kate Greenaway was a renowned English Victorian artist and writer known for her children's book illustrations. Her work, characterized by quaint, nostalgic depictions of children and rural life, achieved remarkable popularity in the late 19th century. Greenaway's unique style, often inspired by Regency-era fashion, has had a lasting influence on children's literature and illustration.

Kate Greenaway

To The Sun Door.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

In An Apple Tree.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

The Cats Have Come To Tea.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

Ring-A-Ring.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

English

Suggested Poems

Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.

When We Went Out With Grandmamma.

When we went out with Grandmamma--
Mamma said for a treat--
Oh, dear, how stiff we had to walk
As we went down the street.

One on each side we had to go,
And never laugh or loll;
I carried Prim, her Spaniard dog,
And Tom--her parasol.


If I looked right--if Tom looked left--
"Tom--Susan--I'm ashamed;
And little Prim, I'm sure, is shocked,
To hear such naughties named."

She said we had no manners,
If we ever talked or sung;
"You should have seen," said Grandmamma,
"Me walk, when I was young."

She told us--oh, so often--
How little girls and boys,
In the good days when she was young,
Never made any noise.

She said they never wished then
To play--oh, indeed!
They learnt t...

Kate Greenaway

Little Girls And Little Lambs.

In the May-time flowers grow;
Little girls in meadows go;
Little lambs frisk with delight,
And in the green grass sleep at night.
Little birds sing all the day,
Oh, in such a happy way!
All the day the sun is bright,
Little stars shine all the night.
The Cowslip says to the Primrose,
"How soft the little Spring wind blows!"
The Daisy and the Buttercup
Sing every time that they look up.
For beneath the sweet blue sky
They see a pretty Butterfly;
The Butterfly, when he looks down,
Says, "What a pretty Flower Town!"

Kate Greenaway

The Little London Girl.

In my little Green House, quite content am I,
When the hot sun pours down from the sky;
For oh, I love the country the beautiful country.
Who'd live in a London street when there's the country?

I live in a London street, then I long and long
To be the whole day the sweet Flowers among
Instead of tall chimney-pots up in the sky,
The joy of seeing Birds and Dragon Flies go by.

At home I lie in bed, and cannot go to sleep,
For the sound of cart-wheels upon the hard street.
But here my eyes close up to no sound of anything
Except it is to hear the nightingales sing.

And then I see the Chickens and the Geese go walking,
I hear the Pigs and the Ducks all talking.
And the Red and the Spotted Cows they stare at me,
As if they wondered whoever I could be.<...

Kate Greenaway

The Little Jumping Girls.

Jump jump jump
Jump away
From this town into
The next, to-day.

Jump jump jump
Jump over the moon;
Jump all the morning,
And all the noon.

Jump jump jump
Jump all night;
Won't our mothers
Be in a fright?

Jump jump jump
Over the sea;
What wonderful wonders
We shall see.

Jump jump jump
And leave behind
Everything evil
That we may find.

Jump jump jump
Jump far away;
And all come home
Some other day.

Kate Greenaway

My Little Girlie.

Little girlie tell to me
What your wistful blue eyes see?
Why you like to stand so high,
Looking at the far off sky.

Does a tiny Fairy flit
In the pretty blue of it?
Or is it that you hope so soon
To see the rising yellow Moon?

Or is it as I think I've heard
You're looking for a little Bird
To come and sit upon a spray,
And sing the summer night away?

Kate Greenaway

Mammas And Babies.

"My Polly is so very good,
Belinda never cries;
My Baby often goes to sleep,
See how she shuts her eyes.

"Dear Mrs. Lemon tell me when
Belinda goes to school;
And what time does she go to bed?"
"Well, eight o'clock's the rule.

"But now and then, just for a treat,
I let her wait awhile;
You shake your head why, wouldn't you?
Do look at Baby's smile!"

"Dear Mrs. Primrose will you come
One day next week to tea?
Of course bring Rosalinda, and
That darling Rosalie."

"Dear Mrs. Cowslip, you are kind;
My little folks, I know,
Will be so very pleased to come;
Dears tell Mrs. Cowslip so.

"Oh, do you know perhaps you've not heard
She had a dreadful fright;
My Daisy with the measles
Kept me up every ...

Kate Greenaway