John Morris Reeves was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 known as James Reeves principally known for his poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 and contributions to children's literature

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 and the literature of collected traditional songs.

Life

He was the son of Albert Reeves, an accountant, and Ethel Blenche who was the daughter of a school mistress from Yarm

Yarm

Yarm is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees and for ceremonial purposes is in North Yorkshire...

 in North East England - they met while on holiday in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Subsequently they lived in Nottinghamshire where they had two children, David and John, who later changed his name to James. He was born in Harrow

London Borough of Harrow

The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...

, and educated at Stowe School

Stowe School

Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...

 and Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...

. He taught until 1952, when he became a full-time writer.

He was close to Laura Riding

Laura Riding

Laura Jackson was an American poet, critic, novelist, essayist and short story writer.- Early life :...

 for a time, being successor to Jacob Bronowski

Jacob Bronowski

Jacob Bronowski was a Polish-Jewish British mathematician, biologist, historian of science, theatre author, poet and inventor...

 as editor of Epilogue: a critical summary. He was also an editor of some of the works of Robert Graves

Robert Graves

Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...

. His prose work for children commenced in 1956 and included short stories and poetry.

Works

• Songs for Sixpence (1929) editor
• The Natural Need (1936, Seizin Press
  Seizin Press
  The Seizin Press was a small press, founded in 1927 by Laura Riding and Robert Graves in London. From 1930 to 1937 it operated out of Majorca....
  
  ) poems
• The Imprisoned Sea (1949) poems
• The Wandering Moon (1950) poems
• The Snitterjipe
• The Password (1952) poems
• The Critical Sense: practical criticism of prose and poetry (1956)
• Prefabulous Animiles (1957) poems, with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone
  Edward Ardizzone
  Edward Jeffrey Irving Ardizzone, CBE, RA was an English artist, writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books.-Early life:...
  
  
• A Golden Land (1958) editor
• The Talking Skull (1958) poems
• The Idiom of the People: English traditional verse (1958) folk songs, with Cecil Sharp
  Cecil Sharp
  Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
  
  
• Collected Poems 1929-1959 (1960)
• The Everlasting Circle: English traditional verse (1960)
• Georgian Verse (1962) editor
• The Questioning Tiger (1964) poems
• Selected Poems (1967)
• The Christmas Book (1968) with Raymond Briggs
  Raymond Briggs
  Raymond Redvers Briggs is an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author who has achieved critical and popular success among adults and children...
  
  
• The Cold Flame (1967) children's novel based on a Grimm fairy tale
• Understanding Poetry (1967)
• Commitment to Poetry (1969)
• Maildun the Voyager (1971) historical novel
• Poems and Paraphrases (1972)
• Complete Poems for Children (1973)
• A Vein of Mockery: twentieth-century verse (1973)
• The Forbidden forest
• Collected Poems 1929-1974 (1974)
• More Prefabulous Animiles (1975) poems, with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone
  Edward Ardizzone
  Edward Jeffrey Irving Ardizzone, CBE, RA was an English artist, writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books.-Early life:...
  
  
• The Reputation and Writings of Alexander Pope (1976)
• The Closed Door (1977) poems
• Arcadian Ballads (1978 poems
• The Sea

James Reeves did many poems during his life and he enjoyed poetry.

External links

• ODNB index entry for James Reeves