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

1900s, Folktale, Myth, Native American, Short Story

Legend of Horn Lake

By Stella Le Flore Carter (Cherokee-Chickasaw) with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1910s, Birds, Column, Creation stories, Myth, Native American

Tradition of the Crows

By Louis George (Klamath) with annotations by Jessica Cory
1920s, African American, Poem, Wild animals

At the Zoo

By Jessie Redmon Fauset with annotations by Catherine Bowlin
1860s, Short Story

Old Story of the Five Peaches

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

In Flanders Fields: An Echo

By Orlando C. W. Taylor with annotations by Rene Marzuk
1910s, African American, Poem

The Band of Gideon

By Joseph S. Cotter, Jr. with annotations by Rene Marzuk
1900s, Farm life, Native American, Poem

The Unruly Pigs

By Hellen Rebecca Anderson with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1910s, Farm life, Native American, Poem, Seasons

Playing and Haying

By Eugene Dutton with annotations by Jessica Cory
1850s, Birds, Short Story, Trees, Wild animals

The Old Eagle Tree

By John Todd with annotations by Mary Miller
1860s, 1880s, Poem

Three Bugs

By Alice Cary with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup
1880s, Short Story

The Mountain Hut

By Rebecca Harding Davis with annotations by Josh Benjamin
1920s, Short Story

How the Turtle Got His Marks

By Bertie Lee Hall with annotations by Josh Benjamin
1910s, African American, Poem

The White Witch

By James Weldon Johnson with annotations by Rene Marzuk
1920s, African American, Short Story

How Mr. Crocodile Got His Rough Back

By Julian Elihu Bagley with annotations by Josh Benjamin
1820s, Dialogue

Insects

By Lydia Maria Child with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup

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