Cautionary Tales for Children facts for kids
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| Author | Hilaire Belloc |
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| Illustrator | Basil Temple Blackwood |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Eveleigh Nash |
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Publication date
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1907 |
| Followed by | New Cautionary Tales: Verses, Duckworth, 1930. |
Cautionary Tales for Children is a funny and clever children's book from 1907. It was written by Hilaire Belloc. The full title is Cautionary Tales for Children: Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and fourteen years.
This book is a parody. This means it makes fun of older "cautionary tales." These were stories meant to teach kids lessons. They often showed bad things happening if children misbehaved. Belloc's book uses humor to show what happens when children do silly or naughty things.
Contents
About the Book
The book was illustrated by Basil Temple Blackwood. He was a friend of Belloc's from Oxford University. The style of the drawings is similar to The Bad Child's Book of Beasts. That book had made Belloc very popular earlier.
The book starts with an introduction. Then it has eleven different stories. All the stories are written using rhyming couplets. This means two lines that rhyme together.
What Are the Stories About?
The stories in Cautionary Tales for Children are about kids who do unusual things. Each story shows a funny or exaggerated result of their actions. Here are some of the tales:
- "Jim: Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion."
- "Henry King: Who chewed bits of string, and was early cut off in Dreadful agonies."
- "Matilda: Who told Lies, and was Burned to Death."
- "Franklin Hyde: Who caroused in the Dirt and was corrected by His Uncle."
- "Godolphin Horne: Who was cursed with the Sin of Pride, and, Became a Boot-black."
- "Algernon: Who played with a Loaded Gun, and, on missing his Sister, was reprimanded by his Father."
- "Hildebrand: Who was frightened by a Passing Motor, and was brought to reason."
- "Lord Lundy: Who was too Freely Moved to Tears, and thereby ruined his Political Career."
- "Rebecca: Who Slammed Doors For Fun And Perished Miserably."
- "George: Who played with a Dangerous Toy, and suffered a Catastrophe of considerable Dimensions."
- "Charles Augustus Fortescue: Who Always Did what was Right, and so Accumulated an Immense Fortune."
The Book's Impact
Cautionary Tales for Children has been popular for a long time. It has inspired many artists and musicians.
Music and Audio
In 1909, four of the tales were turned into songs. A composer named Liza Lehmann set them to music. A famous singer named Clara Butt performed these songs. She went on a successful tour in Britain that same year.
Later, in 1959, a record company called Caedmon Records released an album. It included the "Cautionary Tales" read by Joyce Grenfell. In 1992, the British actor Stephen Fry recorded some of the verses as an audiobook.
Other Influences
The American artist Edward Gorey created new pictures for the book. These were published in 2002 after he had passed away.
The book also inspired musicians. Syd Barrett, a writer and singer for the band Pink Floyd, used the book as an idea for his song "Matilda Mother." This song was on Pink Floyd's 1967 album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
