A review by calistareads
The Diverting History of John Gilpin by William Cowper

4.0

The horse racing on the seal of the Caldecott medal comes from this story. Caldecott illustrated it, but William Cowper wrote the ballad. A man is going for a ride with his family when he mounts his horse and it wildly takes off. He races through the town and some think it's a race and others think the horse was stolen and John is trying to stop the horse. He eventually gets back home minus wig and hat.

I enjoy Caldecott's art. It's whimsical and fun and full of action. Of course not compared to modern standards. This is from the 1870's. The old English was a bit awkward to read at times. I still enjoyed it.

The kids kept asking what words meant. There was a lot they didn't understand at first and they did catch on.