A Little Book of Profitable Tales

Eugene Field wrote these tales for his daughter, and that devotion pulses through every page. Published in 1889, this collection gathers whimsical stories where Christmas trees dream of angels, robins befriend violets, and the small creatures of the world speak in tongues of gentle wisdom. Field was first and foremost a poet, and his prose carries that same musical quality, rolling and rhyming even in narrative form. These are not cynical stories. They believe in kindness, in the sacredness of small moments, in the idea that even a humble cedar tree might witness something holy. The tales skew young in their protagonists but hold space for adults who remember believing that the world was softer than it is. Edward E. Hale's introduction praises Field's straightforward heart, and that word 'straightforward' is key: there is no pretension here, no layered irony. Just warmth, humor, and the kind of quiet moral teaching that feels less like instruction and more like a bedtime story whispered by someone who loves you.