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 night.

"And then I've been so worried
Clarissa had a fit;
And the doctor said he couldn't
In the least account for it."

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

The Tea Party.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

The Little Queen's Coming.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

Happy Days.

Kate Greenaway, Simple Poetry

The Little London Girl.

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 Phillis.

I am a very little girl,
I think that I've turned two;
And if you'd like to know my name
I'd like to tell it you.

They always call me Baby,
But Phillis is my name.
No no one ever gave it me,
I think it only came.

I've got a pretty tulip
In my little flower-bed;
If you would like I'll give it you
It's yellow, striped with red.

I've got a little kitten, but
I can't give that away,
She likes to play with me so much;
She's gone to sleep to-day.

And I've got a nice new dolly,
Shall I fetch her out to you?
She's got such pretty shoes on,
And her bonnet's trimmed with blue.

You'd like to take her home with you?
Oh, no, she mustn't go;
Good-bye I want to run now,
You walk along so slow.

Kate Greenaway

To Baby.

Oh, what shall my blue eyes go see?
Shall it be pretty Quack-Quack to-day?
Or the Peacock upon the Yew Tree?
Or the dear little white Lambs at play?
Say Baby.
For Baby is such a young Petsy,
And Baby is such a sweet Dear.
And Baby is growing quite old now
She's just getting on for a year.

Kate Greenaway

A Sweet Little Dear

I always was a remarkable child; so old for my age, and such a sensitive nature!--Mamma often says so.
And I'm the sweetest, little dear in my blue ribbons, and quite a picture in my Pompadour hat!--Mrs. Brown told her so on Sunday, and that's how I know.
And I'm a sacred responsibility to my parents--(it was what the clergyman's wife at the seaside said),
And a solemn charge, and a fair white page, and a tender bud, and a spotless nature of wax to be moulded;--but the rest of it has gone out of my head.
There was a lot more, and she left two books as well, and I think she called me a Privilege, and Mamma said "Yes," and began to cry.
And Nurse came in with luncheon on a tray, and put away the books, and said she was as weak as a kitten, and worried to fiddlestrings, as any one with common sense could see w...

Juliana Horatia Ewing

Happy Days.

"Are you going next week to see Phillis and Phoebe?
Phillis on Monday will be just fourteen.
She says we shall all have our tea in the garden,
And afterwards have some nice games on the green.

"I wanted a new frock, but mother said, 'No,'
So I must be content with my old one you see.
But then white is so pretty, and kind Aunt Matilda
Has sent down a beautiful necklace for me."

"Oh, yes, I am going, and Peggy is going,
And mother is making us new frocks to wear;
I shall have my red sash and my hat with pink ribbons
I know all the girls will be smart who are there.

"And then, too, we're going to each take a nosegay
The larger the better for Phillis to say
That all her friends love her, and wish her so happy,
And bring her sweet flowers upon her birt...

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