Over the River and Through the Wood: An Anthology of Nineteenth-Century American Children’s Poetry

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.

Table of Contents:

• 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

Also included are: Statement of Editorial Principles, Acknowledgments,  Appendix, Table of Contents by Date Works, Cited Author Index, Title Index