Books like When we were very young
When we were very young by A. A. Milne reads as whimsical, nostalgic. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What When we were very young is like to read
A gentle collection of childhood poems evoking the small wonders and imaginings of an English boy's early-twentieth-century world. Best for: readers and families wanting classic, whimsical children's verse to read aloud.
A Child's Garden of Verses
Robert Louis Stevenson · 1885
A gentle, episodic collection of short verses evoking the small wonders of childhood — play, bedtime, family, and imagination.
Now we are six
A. A. Milne · 1925
A gentle, playful collection of childhood verses full of small wonders and simple rhymes, evoking a cozy, nostalgic nursery world.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Shel Silverstein · 1974
A rowdy, tender carnival of short poems and pen-line drawings that swing from slapstick nonsense to sudden, quietly profound moments.
Hurry, Hurry, Mary Dear
N. M. Bodecker · 1998
Both explore childhood & imagination
Sing a Song of Popcorn
Beatrice Schenk De Regniers · 1988
Both explore childhood & imagination
It's snowing! it's snowing!
Jack Prelutsky · 1984
A collection of accessible, playful poems that celebrate winter's enchantment and childhood's magical lens, delivered in Prelutsky's signature conversational, whimsical voice.
Please try to remember the first of Octember!
Dr. Seuss · 1977
A giddy, singsong tour through invented holiday customs, meant to be read aloud with Seuss's bouncing rhythm and playful invented vocabulary.
Under the window
Kate Greenaway · 1800
Both explore childhood & nature
Hailstones and halibut bones
Mary Le Duc O'Neill · 1961
Both explore imagination & nature
Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories
Tim Burton · 1997
A quick, darkly funny flip through illustrated verse portraits of misfit children, each doomed by their own oddity yet drawn with tenderness rather than cruelty.
Gargling with jelly
Brian Patten · 1985
Both explore childhood & imagination
Walking the bridge of your nose
Michael Rosen · 1995
A lively, funny collection of poems that plays with language and celebrates the silly, joyful chaos of being a kid.
About When we were very young — what the genome says
Is When we were very young a complete story or a cliffhanger?
It's a complete, standalone-satisfying story.
Who is When we were very young for?
It's an all-ages read — as loved by adults as by younger readers.
Find your next read by its genome
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