Figgie Hobbin: Poems for Children is a children's poetry

Children's poetry

Children's poetry is poetry written for, a stupid reson as she says or appropriate for children. This may include folk poetry ; poetry written intentionally for young people Children's poetry is poetry written for, a stupid reson as she says or appropriate for children. This may include folk...

 collection written by the Cornish poet Charles Causley

Charles Causley

Charles Stanley Causley, CBE, FRSL was a Cornish poet, schoolmaster and writer. His work is noted for its simplicity and directness and for its associations with folklore, especially when linked to his native Cornwall....

 and first published in 1970

1970 in poetry

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* May – "La nuit de la poésie", a poetry reading in Montreal bringing together poets from French Canada to recite before an audience of more than 2,000 in the Théâtre du Gesu, lasting until 7...

. Since then it has gone through numerous reprints, including a notable version published in the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1973, with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman

Trina Schart Hyman

Trina Schart Hyman was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends, and was the recipient of three Caldecott Honors and one Caldecott Medal....

.

The poems' subjects are fairly evenly split between gentle introspection and delighting in random nonsense. The poem from which the book gets its title speaks of the old King of Cornwall

Kingdom of Cornwall

The Kingdom of Cornwall was an independent polity in southwest Britain during the Early Middle Ages, roughly coterminous with the modern English county of Cornwall. During the sub-Roman and early medieval periods Cornwall was evidently part of the kingdom of Dumnonia, which included most of the...

, tempted with all sorts of exotic dishes, who petulantly tells his servants to take it all away and bring him what he really wants--a humble dish of figgie hobbin. (Figgy hobbin:- a lump of dough, cooked with a handful of raisins (raisins being "figs" and figs "broad raisins").)

Poems

Note: the following poems are printed in the U.S. edition of the book. The U.K. edition may contain a slightly different collection of poems.

• I saw a jolly hunter
• A fox came into my garden
• 'Quack!' said the billy goat
• Colonel Fazackerley
• Tell me, tell me, Sarah Jane
• As I went down Zig Zag
• Logs of wood
• Old Mrs. Thing-um-e-bob
• King Foo Foo
• Riley
• At nine of the night I opened my door
• My mother saw a dancing bear
• Figgie Hobbin