Website of the Day: Friday July 30th
>> The Cataract of Lodore
Bear with me here. A bedtime story for Henry (8) and George (nearly 4) is an important ritual at Website of the Day Mansions. We love the Dr Seuss books (current favourite If I Ran The Zoo), but a couple of months ago we discovered this fabulous old poem about a waterfall in the Lake District and it’s become a real bedtime favourite for us.
I’d never heard of the poet, Robert Southey, but a bit of research revealed that the poem was written in 1820 when Southey was Poet Laureate. It turns out that Southey kept good poetic company – his brother-in-law was Coleridge, and Wordsworth was a neighbour.
Anyway this poem is a particular hit with 4-year-old George who may not understand much of the language, but loves the rhythm and the way the whole poem sounds like a waterfall, starting gently when the water is only a trickle, then becoming more urgent as the waterfall itself gains momentum.
If you enjoy reading to your kids, this comes with a huge recommendation – but you have to read it aloud to really appreciate it.
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