Cautionary Tales for Children: Also including: A Moral Alphabet; A Bad Child's Book of Beasts; More Beasts for Worse Children

By Hilaire Belloc

Cautionary tales are traditional folklore stories used to teach children of dangers. Hilaire Belloc's 'Cautionary Tales' have been warning children from danger for over a hundred years. This book also includes three more of Belloc's works, 'A Moral Alphabet,' 'A Bad Child's Book of Beasts' and 'More Beasts for Worse Children.'

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wilder Publications, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781515400721

Hilaire Belloc

Hilaire Belloc was born in France in 1870. As a child, he moved with his mother and siblings to England. As a French citizen, he did his military service in France before going to Oxford University, where he was president of the Union debating society. He took British citizenship in 1902 and was a member of parliament for several years. A prolific and versatile writer of over 150 books, he is best remembered for his comic and light verse. But he also wrote extensively about politics, history, nature and contemporary society. Famously adversarial, he is remembered for his long-running feud with H. G. Wells. He died in in Surrey, England, in 1953.

Book preview

Cautionary Tales for Children

by Hilaire Belloc

©2015 SMK Books

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations for review purposes only.

SMK Books

PO Box 632

Floyd, VA 24091-0632

ISBN 13: 978-1-5154-0072-1

Table of Contents

Cautionary Tales for Children

Introduction

Jim

Henry King

Matilda

Franklin Hyde

Godolphin Horne

Algernon

Hildebrand

Lord Lundy

Lord Lundy (Second Canto)

Rebecca

George

Charles Augustus Fortescue

A Moral Alphabet (In Words from One to Seven Syllables)

A for Archibald

B for Bear

C for Cobra

D for Dreadful

E for Egg

F for Family

G for Gnu

H for Horseman

I for Indian

J for James

K for Klondyke

L for Lady

M for Millionaire

N for Ned

O for Oxford

P for Pig

Q For Quinine

R for Reviewer

S for Snail

T for Tourist

U for Upas Truee

V for Volunteer

W for Waterbeetle

X for Nothing

Y for Youth

Z for Zébu

The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts

Introduction

The Yak

The Polar Bear

The Lion

The Tiger

The Dromedary

The Whale

The Camel

The Hippopotamus

The Dodo

The Marmozet

The Camelopard

The Learned Fish

The Elephant

The Big Baboon

The Rhinoceros

The Frog

More Beasts (for worse children)

Introduction

The Python

The Welsh Mutton

The Porcupine

The Scorpion

The Crocodile

The Vulture

The Bison

The Viper

The Llama

The Chamois

The Frozen Mammoth

The Microbe

Cautionary Tales for Children

Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and fourteen years.

Introduction

Upon being asked by a reader whether the verses contained in this book were true.

And is it true? It is not True.

And if it were it wouldn’t do,

For people such as me and you

Who pretty nearly all day long

Are doing something rather wrong.

Because if things were really so,

You would have perished long ago,

And I would not have lived to write

Reviews for Cautionary Tales for Children

[timothyl33 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A short book of 'cautionary' poems for children, in the spirit of "Where the Sidewalk Ends". Some of the poems are better than others, for instance, "Matilda, Who told lies, and was Burned to Death."

[lauraejensen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This knee slapper is almost 100 years old! Silly poems, rhyming couplets that mock Victorian poetry while telling of children who are punished horribly, eaten by lions and the like. Children will enjoy the ridiculousness, and enhance their vocabulary. Simple drawings by Edward Gorey are sure to please.

[amyrn75 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very Funny, Definitly not for small children!