Christmas Carols and Midsummer Songs

What this book is like

This book gathers short poems and songs for two seasons: the frosty brightness of Christmas and the warm, drowsy glow of Midsummer. As a collection of children's verse from an earlier era, it reads like a seasonal sampler—carols about winter nights, then pieces about roses, sunshine, and the longest days. The tone is simple, cheerful, and gently old-fashioned, and the pull comes from flipping between the moods.

Listeners who enjoy early American poetry or seasonal anthologies will find this pleasant to hear. Because the works are poems and song lyrics, hearing them aloud brings out their rhythm and rhyme, making the carols feel singable and the summer verses airy. Expect a melodic experience rather than a narrative story, with each piece standing alone like a tiny picture in verse.