A Child's Garden of Verses

## Stats

**A Child's Garden of Verses** is the seventeenth episode of the series *HBO Storybook Musicals* that aired on April 3, 1992. Not counting *The Real Story of...* episodes, it is actually the eleventh and final episode of the series. It is based off of the book of the same name by *Robert Louis Stevenson*, originally published in 1885, as well as Stevenson's personal childhood.

## Synopsis

In Edinburgh, Scotland, lived a boy named Robbie in an old house, with his rich dad and pretty mother. Robbie had a very serious illness and was bedridden, and couldn't go out and play like the other kids he hears. His mother tells him that he'll feel well again, and just has to wait "a little time longer", and goes to fetch him some tea and a scone while he plays with his soldiers on his bed. A doctor tells his parents that Robbie may never get better, but if he can get through the following months and to get his fever down, he could.

Robbie wants his mother to read him a story, but she says no and his father also asks if he studied his arithmetic, and saying that if he goes behind more, he'll be the class dunce when he does go to school, and tells him no more bedtime stories until he studies. Robbie tells his mother that he hates arithmetic and how boring it is. She explains that he has to give real life attention too, and brings up the inner spirit, that can turn his bed into a boat that can sail away. Robbie imagines sailing his boat on the water while singing, and how the day comes, he's back in his room. Robbie sits down at the table for breakfast, where his mom tells him that he can go outside later on, if his fever goes away. A maid picks up his pirate ship on the table and breaks it, and his aunt also comes to visit.

After breakfast, Robbie goes outside. His mom informs him to only be out for one hour and not to be too strenuous. Robbie swings on the swing, until his mother stops him about being too strenuous, then he talks about his shadow. Later that night, his mother explains to his dad about how happy he was on the swing, but brings up how his fever came back after that, so he tells her to keep Robbie inside. It's eventually time for Robbie's bedtime, and his dad tells him he's too old to walk up the steps by himself. He walks up with a candle, singing and frightened.

Later that rainy night, Dr. Campbell tells them that Robbie is worse, and they can only hope he can get better. As the rain stops, his mother and father look out at the moon and recite more poetry. The next morning, Robbie's fever has broken, and he is perfectly well and swings outside happily. Robbie's grown self comes from behind the tree explaining that he grew up to write many books and also wrote the words to all the poems that was heard all throughout. Robbie questions the man, but his parents say there wasn't a man, and they send him off to school.

## Songs/Poetry

* The Land of Counterpane
* My Bed is a Boat
* The Swing
* My Shadow
* The Land of Story Books
* Shadow March
* Singing
* The Moon

## Trivia

* This is the only episode of the series to be rated TV-Y7. This is likely due to the fact the episode focuses on a dark topic, about death.
* Strangely, the most used thumbnail for this episode on several services, even on HBO itself, is a screenshot that's actually from *Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day*.