Rhymes of Childhood

Rhymes of Childhood is a collection of poems by James Whitcomb Riley, first published in 1891. Riley, often called "the poet of the common people," wrote in a nostalgic dialect verse that captured the spirit of rural Indiana.1

The collection includes well-known poems such as "Little Orphant Annie," which tells the story of an orphaned girl who shares spooky tales. This poem, originally published under a pseudonym, was written in the Hoosier dialect and features themes of sentimentality and cheerful philosophy. Rhymes of Childhood is noted for its idyllic portrayal of rural life and is considered part of the sentimental literature of its time.23