Poems for our Grandchildren

About the Book

hared memories bind families and friends together. Not least important among these are memories of stories, songs, and poems, repeated often and incorporated into everyday thought and expression. The child who grows up unaware of literature of the past is surely impoverished. To fill this vacuum with the deluge of current song lyrics and “drama” from television and movies is scarcely a satisfactory solution. We heard many of the poems assembled here from our mothers, and have often read or recited most of these to our children. The volumes from which they came are falling apart and long since out of print, or too bulky for convenient handling. Thus we saw the need for a compact selection. Although from a variety of scattered sources, we leaned heavily on a collection that appeared, early in the 20th century, in the magazine Normal Instructor Primary Plans subsequently published as Poems Teachers Ask For by F. A. Owen Publishing Company, of Danville, N.Y. Many of the poems, such as the Mother Goose rhymes, are no longer attributable to individuals, and are heard in different versions. Where authors are known, we have given the name and have adhered to original words, spelling, and punctuation. In the very few instances in which wording has been changed, an asterisk has been placed by the author’s name and the changes noted at the end of the book. Since the collection was first assembled, our own grandchildren have become the readers, rather than the read-to. Yet, to our knowledge, no substantial body of new poetry has come along to take the place of these traditional works that range from light fancy to the joys and perils of growing up and the heroism of those who came before us. Thus these “out of date” poems may be even more important to the children of the 21st century than to those for whom they were originally compiled. This small collection ranges from familiar nursery rhymes to somber works on the struggles and valor of our forebearers. It is our hope that these poems may bring mirth, joy, and an appreciation of our heritage to new generations of children and to their parents and grandparents

About the Author

Robert Bauman grew up in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Illinois before entering Purdue University to study chemistry and physics. As a member of the Purdue Glee Club, he participated in The New Moon and The Desert Song, by Romberg. On stage, he met Edith Jane Gerkin, forming a team that has survived and thrived for more than six decades. After a stop in Pittsburgh, Dr. Bauman accepted a faculty position at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He served as president of the school board of Bethpage, on Long Island and spent one summer as a member of the technical staff of the Bell Laboratories. In 1967 he accepted an invitation to start a new department of physics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, instituting programs offering the B.S., M.S., and PhD. He was elected president of the American Association of Physics Teachers and published books on absorption spectroscopy, thermodynamics, and physical science, while Edith served as president of Faculty Women, as well as the local opera group, church groups at national and local levels, and the National Society of Arts and Letters. Both remained active in local theater and choral groups. Their four children grew up hearing many of the poems contained here, and have since lived in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Taiwan, and Washington State, raising seven happy grandchildren.