Rose Fyleman

Rose Fyleman was an English poet and children’s writer born near Nottingham on March 6, 1877. As a child she was educated at a private school, and one of her early compositions was published in a local paper when she was still very young.

She first hoped to become a teacher, but after that plan fell through she studied music in Paris, Berlin, and at the Royal College of Music in London. Back in Nottingham she taught singing and helped at her sister’s school. Her literary breakthrough came in 1917, when Punch published "There are Fairies at the Bottom of Our Garden," a poem that became famous and led to a long run of successful collections including Fairies and Chimneys.

Fyleman went on to publish many books of verse, write plays for children, edit the children’s magazine Merry-Go-Round for a time, and translate from German, French, and Italian. She became one of the most successful children’s writers of her generation, and her work is still remembered for its warmth, charm, and sense of wonder.