Children of Our Town — Reading Companion

Urban Playgrounds and Specific Settings

The poems name real New York locations: Central Park, Coney Island, and a lake (likely the Central Park lake or a similar urban pond). The verse 'Boats on the Lake' describes the 'wibble-wobble' motion of toy boats and the child getting wet while retrieving them. 'In Central Park' depicts a 'gay goat-carriage' crawling along the Mall at a 'turtle's pace.' These details ground the collection in a turn-of-the-century cityscape, contrasting with the catalog subject 'City and town life' by showing specific, named places rather than generic urban scenes.

The Recurring Adult Admonitions

Nearly every poem includes a stanza addressed to older readers. In 'Flying Kites,' 'Aged Duffers' are told not to try flying a kite because they would 'spoil the thing.' 'Boats on the Lake' warns 'Aged Grandsires' to 'play properly' and not splash. 'At Coney Island' advises 'Dear Grandams' to wear gingham instead of fine clothes. This pattern turns the poems into a kind of etiquette lesson for adults, suggesting the verses are as much about policing adult behavior as celebrating childhood. The catalog subject 'Children's poetry, American' does not capture this ironic, instructional tone.

Voice and Moralizing Undercurrent

Wells' voice is playful but moralistic. In 'The First of April,' she notes that 'the human race is mostly fools' and warns 'Aged Idiots' not to pin tags on ladies. 'Plebeian' begins 'Lucinda's tastes are so depraved; She likes to play...' (the excerpt cuts off). The poems often contrast proper and improper behavior, with children's simple joys set against adult pretension. The catalog subject 'Children -- Juvenile poetry' implies child-focused content, but the verses consistently address adults, making the intended audience ambiguous. The moralizing is light but persistent, embedded in the verse structure rather than stated as lessons.

Children of Our Town rewards attention to its dual audience: children may enjoy the rhymes and illustrations, while adult readers will find the recurring admonitions to 'Aged' figures a wry commentary on grown-up solemnity. The poems are best read as period pieces that capture a specific urban childhood circa 1900, with the illustrations by Mars and Squire likely adding visual charm not fully conveyed by text alone.

Flipping through Children of Our Town, I stopped at the kite-flying verses—those light, crooked rhymes about childhood slipping away. It made me think of that other volume, and how both gently scold us grown-ups for forgetting play. Goops and How to Be Them — A Closer Reading holds the same quiet, amused patience. I still recall the illustration of a boy’s string snapping, trailing off like a half-remembered afternoon.