Boys and Girls

A charming collection of early 20th-century verse that captures the particular magic of being young. James W. Foley writes with an ear for how children actually speak and think, whether they're plotting mischief, navigating the strange terrors of nighttime shadows, or eagerly awaiting Christmas morning. The poems feature memorable characters like Billy Peeble and his friends, following them through doughnutting time (that peculiar American tradition of doughnut day), ghost stories that become too real, and the small domestic dramas of sibling life. These aren't sentimental portraits of childhood but honest ones, full of the genuine fear, joy, and bewilderment that children feel. The language is simple enough for young readers but rich enough to reward reading aloud. For anyone who remembers the particular loneliness and wonder of being small in a large world, or for parents looking to share that feeling with the next generation.