A Little About the Author


James Whitcomb Riley wrote in the late 1800's, and he wrote in the dialect of his time and place, which was Indiana farm country. Like Mark Twain's writing, sometimes it's hard to understand what Riley is talking about when you read his poems silently; but read aloud, they'll spring to life, and you'll realize "hey, he's talkin' like people talk, not like some poet!"

I was fortunate when I was young, having a father who loved to read aloud to his kids. And he didn't just read, he acted out whatever he was reading. This was one of his favorites; he'd gather us kids around after dinner, and read in a low, "spooky" voice; and at the end of every verse, he'd "git" us with tickles. Try reading this poem aloud and see how much better it is.

"Little Orphant Annie" is a morality poem. Read it closely, you'll get a real feel for what the midwest was like in the years following the Civil War, and how kids were raised in those days. When I was young this poem scared me a little; but it's all in good fun, as evidenced by the author's dedication:

INSCRIBED
With All Faith And Affection
To all the little children:--The happy ones; and sad ones;
The sober an the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones--Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.


LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE









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