Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride: The Landlord's Tale

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Illustrated by Charles Santore 2003

It’s too bad school children don’t memorize poetry anymore. This one is a classic (I can probably get through the first stanza by heart). The full page illustrations are filled with action and movement.  I know it sounds corny, but they really make the poem come alive.

It was twelve by the village clock,

When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.

He heard the crowing of the cock,

And the barking of the farmer's dog,

And felt the damp of the river fog,

That rises after the sun goes down.