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Cover image of Over the River and Through the Wood
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Over the River and Through the Wood

An Anthology of Nineteenth-Century American Children's Poetry

edited by Karen L. Kilcup and Angela Sorby

Publication Date
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Rediscover nineteenth-century American children’s poetry with period illustrations.

Outstanding Academic Title, Choice

Over the River and Through the Wood is the first and only collection of its kind, offering readers an unequaled view of the quality and diversity of nineteenth-century American children's poetry. Most American poets wrote for children—from famous names such as Ralph Waldo Emerson to less familiar figures like Christina Moody, an African American author who published her first book at sixteen. In its excellence, relevance, and abundance, much of this work rivals or surpasses...

Rediscover nineteenth-century American children’s poetry with period illustrations.

Outstanding Academic Title, Choice

Over the River and Through the Wood is the first and only collection of its kind, offering readers an unequaled view of the quality and diversity of nineteenth-century American children's poetry. Most American poets wrote for children—from famous names such as Ralph Waldo Emerson to less familiar figures like Christina Moody, an African American author who published her first book at sixteen. In its excellence, relevance, and abundance, much of this work rivals or surpasses poetry written for adults, yet it has languished—inaccessible and unread—in old periodicals, gift books, and primers. This groundbreaking anthology remedies that loss, presenting material that is both critical to the tradition of American poetry and also a delight to read.

Complemented by period illustrations, this definitive collection includes work by poets from all geographical regions, as well as rarely seen poems by immigrant and ethnic writers and by children themselves. Karen L. Kilcup and Angela Sorby have combed the archives to present an extensive selection of rediscoveries along with traditional favorites. By turns playful, contemplative, humorous, and subversive, these poems appeal to modern sensibilities while giving scholars a revised picture of the nineteenth-century literary landscape.

Reviews

Reviews

It will indeed be a living canon resonating with readers of all ages. Aside from the book's scholarly value, parents and grandparents will find themselves dipping into it regularly.

Over the River and Through the Wood provides a glimpse of a time less anxious about the boundary between adulthood and childhood, and draws attention to some wonderful poems.

This book is a landmark text for scholars of the nineteenth century, for specialists in children's literature, and for scholars of poetry. But many people who are none of these—including people still in elementary school—will find much in the book to enjoy.

A fascinating collection with relevance in many areas of the curriculum... These poems gathered in this very attractive, illustrated and accessible edition, are a delight.

A comprehensive, engaging collection... The editors' careful attention to detail in providing authorship information, dates, and original publication sources as well as the diversity of the poets make this anthology an important scholarly tool for anyone interested in American and/or children's literature.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
7
x
10
Pages
592
ISBN
9781421411408
Illustration Description
62 b&w illus.
Table of Contents

Statement of Editorial Principles
Acknowledgments

Introduction. "Pretty New Moons": Contact Zones in Nineteenth-Century American Children's Poetry
Chapter 1. Growing Things
Chapter 2. Landscapes and

Statement of Editorial Principles
Acknowledgments

Introduction. "Pretty New Moons": Contact Zones in Nineteenth-Century American Children's Poetry
Chapter 1. Growing Things
Chapter 2. Landscapes and Seasons
Chapter 3. Creepy Crawlies
Chapter 4. Feathered Friends
Chapter 5. Domestic Animals
Chapter 6. Wild Animals
Chapter 7. Toys and Play
Chapter 8. Nonsense
Chapter 9. Cautionary Tales
Chapter 10. Learning Lessons
Chapter 11. Slavery and Freedom
Chapter 12. Politics and Social Reform
Chapter 13. Death and Affliction
Chapter 14. Fairy and Folk
Chapter 15. Holidays
Chapter 16. Histories
Chapter 17. Science and Technology
Chapter 18. Homework and Handwork
Chapter 19. Family Ties
Chapter 20. Dreams and Visions
Appendix
Table of Contents by Date
Works Cited
Author Index
Title Index

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Karen L. Kilcup

Karen L. Kilcup is a professor of American literature at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her books include Teaching Nineteenth-Century American Poetry and Fallen Forests: Emotion, Embodiment, and Ethics in American Women’s Environmental Writing, 1781–1924