The Kitten's Garden of Verses
A playful, bouncy collection of verse that imagines the secret thoughts and adventures of kittens. Oliver Herford writes as if he's crawled inside a kitten's mind and transcribed what he found there: mice-chasing philosophy, moonlit fancy, and the very serious business of sunbeam naps. The poems skip and tumble like their subjects, capturing those perfect moments of kittenhood when every object is fascinating and every movement is play. Originally published in the early 1900s, this book radiates a specific, irreplaceable charm - the kind of gentle nonsense that makes children giggle and adults forget their troubles. Whether reading about a kitten's thoughts on the seasons or their midnight explorations, each verse feels like a small gift. It's for anyone who has ever watched a kitten discover the world and thought, "What are you thinking in there?"
Editions
X-Ray
“At evening when the lamp is lit,The tired Human People sitAnd doze, or turn with solemn looksThe speckled pages of their books.Then I, the Dangerous Kitten, prowlAnd in the Shadows softly growl,And roam about the farthest floorWhere Kitten never trod before.And, crouching in the jungle damp,I watch the Human Hunter’s camp,Ready to spring with fearful roarAs soon as I shall hear them snore.And then with stealthy tread I crawlInto the dark and trackless hall,Where 'neath the Hat-tree's shadows deepUmbrellas fold their wings and sleep.A cuckoo calls”
— Oliver Herford
“When I grow up I mean to beA Lion large and fierce to see.I'll mew so loud that Cook in fright Will give me all the cream in sight.And anyone who dares to say'Poor Puss' to me will rue the day.Then having swallowed him I'll creepInto the Guest Room Bed to sleep.””
— Oliver Herford
