Dandelions in the Sun

By Annette Wynne

Annotations by Rene Marzuk

J. & J. G. Low Art Tile Works. *Tile* [Tile face decorated with stylized dandelions]. Molded glazed earthenware, 1877-83, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Dandelions in the sun,
Golden dollars every one,
Let us pick them and go buy
All the sea and all the sky.

Dandelions in the sun,
Golden dollars every one–
Who can be as rich as we
Buying sky and hill and sea!

Wynne, AnNette. “Dandelions in the Sun,” in for Days and Days, 106. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1919.

Contexts

Annette Wynne was an American poet who mainly wrote for children. In addition to For Days and Days: A Year Round of Treasury of Child Verse (1919), she also published Treasure Things (1922).

Resources for Further Study

Native to Asia and Europe, dandelions arrived in America in the seventeenth century. An article from the National Library of Medicine documents many of the uses of this perennial plant.
Dandelions fell out of favor among home gardeners in the twentieth century as lawns in the United States became popular as status symbols. Ketzel Levine, writing for NPR, asks us to reconsider the collective dislike of the wish-granting plant.
Check out dandelion recipes at the Old Farmer’s Almanac website!

About This Site

Edited by Karen Kilcup and coedited by Rene Marzuk and Josh Benjamin, The Envious Lobster collects earlier U.S. nature writing and environmental writing for children. Aimed at a broad audience including scholars, teachers at all levels, students, parents, reading groups, and (of course) children, the current draft anthology comprises about 300 entries in multiple genres. As the editorial collective expands, we anticipate that the anthology will, too. If you have ideas about texts or supporting materials you would like to see included, please email Professor Kilcup, the General Editor (klkilcup AT uncg DOT edu).