Cautionary Tales for Children

By Hilaire Belloc

One of Hilaire Belloc's most famous works, "Cautionary Tales for Children" satirizes a genre of admonitory children's literature popular in England in the late 18th and 19th centuries. The seven stories contained in this work are macabre parodies of childhood lessons, and will entertain more sophisticated readers who can appreciate these tales of disproportionate punishment. Presented in a classic picture book style, illustrators have captured the foibles of children like Jim, who let go of his nurse's hand and was eaten by a lion; Matilda, who told lies, and was burned to death; and Henry King who swallowed string. The consequences range from naughty children being whimsically eaten by lions, to stern reprimands for a boy who fires a loaded gun at his sister. Originally written nearly a century ago, Belloc's sprightly verses are a quick and cathartic read for teenagers, and reflect a trend of literature that is still popular today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781420937428

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

Designed for the Admonition of Children

between the ages of eight and fourteen years

VERSES BY H. BELLOC

———

PICTURES BY B. T. B.

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A Digireads.com Book

Digireads.com Publishing

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-3470-0

Ebook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-3742-8

This edition copyright © 2012

Please visit www.digireads.com

DEDICATED

TO

BOBBY, JOHNNY, AND EDDIE

SOMERSET

INTRODUCTION

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

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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

The noble lines that meet your sight,

Nor B. T. B. survived to draw

The nicest things you ever saw.

H. B.

Jim,

Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion.

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