Our favourite Lewis Carroll poems
As well as creating the world of Wonderland, Lewis Carroll is also famous for his nonsense poems. We've put together a selection of our favourite Lewis Carroll poems from his classic children's books.
Although Lewis Carroll is best known for his classic children’s books and the wonderful world of Wonderland, he also wrote nonsense poetry including the magnificent The Hunting of the Snark. Here is our edit of our favourite Lewis Carroll poems from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Discover our edit of the best poetry books.
The Crocodile
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!
You are Old, Father William
“You are old, Father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head –
Do you think, at your age, it is right?”
“In my youth,” Father William replied to his son,
“I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.”
Read the full poem in Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
The Mock Turtle's Song
“Will you walk a little faster?”
said a whiting to a snail.
“There’s a porpoise close behind us,
and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and
the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—
will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you,
will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you,
won’t you join the dance?
Jabberwocky
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
Read the full poem in Through the Looking Glass
The Walrus and the Carpenter
The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"
Read the full poem in Through the Looking Glass
The Hunting of the Snark
by Chris Riddell
This beautiful edition of The Hunting of the Snark, with stunning colour and black and white illustrations by Chris Riddell, is the perfect gift for Lewis Carroll fans.
The Alice Collection - Alice's Adventure's In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass
These gorgeous editions of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass come in a slipcase, the perfect gift for Alice fans. Both editions feature the original line illustrations by John Tenniel, specially commissioned forewords by Hilary McKay and Philip Ardagh, ribbon markers and colour plates.