The Envious Lobster

Lithograph illustration of Lobster (Homarus americanus) adapted from ‘Zoology of New York or, the New York Fauna,’ by James Ellsworth
De Kay, 1843. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012406840.

Why “The Envious Lobster”? Our title references an 1833 poem by famous children’s author and abolitionist Hannah Gould. A green lobster wearing “her old suit of greenish black” talks with her friend “dressed in scarlet” and wishes she too could be so “gaily clad.” For those who know what makes lobsters red, the scalding conversation brings no surprises, but the poem itself exemplifies the combined instruction and (gruesome!) delight that have animated much American children’s nature writing from early on. These neglected poems, dialogues, and stories about nature and the environment deserve renewed attention.

Our anthology covers such topics as animal welfare, natural history, conservation, and environmental justice. Writers both famous and unfamiliar provide selections that shock, amuse, play, teach, and surprise. Aiming to welcome various readers, we’ve included pictures, secondary resources, and some explanatory materials, including short biographies. You can read what you want and ignore the rest. We admit that personal interests inform our choices, but we hope every reader will find something here to admire, remember, and share.


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Featured Selections

1840s, Poem

The Old Owl

By Samuel Griswold Goodrich with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1900s, Autobiography, Book chapter, Education, Native American

The Indian Girl

By Zitkála-Šá (Yankton Nakota) with annotations by Jessica Cory
1910s, Autobiography, Book chapter, Native American

At Home with Nature

by Charles A. Eastman/Ohiyesa (Santee Dakota) with annotations by Jessica Cory
1900s, Birds, Native American, Short Story, Wild animals

Battle of the Owls

By Joseph M. Poepoe (Kānaka Maoli) with annotations by Jessica Cory
1870s, Short Story

The Mice in the Mill

Mrs. A. W. Curtis with annotations by Josh Benjamin
1860s, Short Story

Adventure with an Alpine Bear

Author Unknown with annotations by Josh Benjamin
1920s, African American, Ocean, Poem

The Enchanted Shell

By H. Cordelia Ray with annotations by Rene Marzuk
1920s, African American, Short Story

Black Cat Magic

By Edna M. Harrold with annotations by Kathryn T. Burt
1850s, African American, Poem

Bury Me in a Free Land

By Frances Ellen Watkins with annotations by Celia Hawley & Josh Benjamin
1920s, African American, Poem, Wild animals

At the Zoo

By Jessie Redmon Fauset with annotations by Catherine Bowlin
1880s, Cats, Dialogue, Education, Native American, Poem

The Kittens’ Lessons

By Anonymous with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1860s, 1880s, Poem

Three Bugs

By Alice Cary with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1880s, Native American, Poem

First Efforts at Rhyming

By “Two Little Indian Girls” with annotations by Jessica Cory
1910s, Birds, Column, Creation stories, Myth, Native American

Tradition of the Crows

By Louis George (Klamath) with annotations by Jessica Cory
1880s, Cats, Education, Native American, Sketch

A Knowing Cat

By Anonymous with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1870s, Short Story

The Best China Saucer

By Sarah Orne Jewett with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup

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