TV REVIEW : ‘Verses’ Evokes Magic of R.L.S.

“A Child’s Garden of Verses,” a new animated special from the Michael Sporn studio (airing at 6 tonight on HBO) combines a mini-biography of Robert Louis Stevenson with selections from his famous collection of children’s poetry.

Stevenson is identified only as Robby, the sickly child of well-to-do Scottish parents. Confined to bed by a mysterious, life-threatening fever, he surrounds himself with toy soldiers and ships, and begins to dream the fantasies that will someday fill his books. His worried mother warns him of the need to balance his daydreams with the demands of daily existence, but urges him to preserve the inner life of his imagination.

The idea of the inner life becomes a powerful bond between them; Stevenson appears briefly as an adult to reassure Robby about his future, and to reaffirm the importance of that bond.

The musical settings of the poems by composer Charles Strouse may strike the listener somewhat less than memorable, but the charming image of Robby playing in a sunlit garden reciting “I Have a Little Shadow” will delight both children and adults.

The simple graphic style that echoes the look of many contemporary children’s book illustrations helps to compensate for the limits of the animation itself. Sporn continues to produce entertainments for children that are gentle and affirming without seeming smarmy, despite the restrictions of obviously minimal budgets.

“A Child’s Garden of Verses” will be repeated Sunday at 9 a.m., Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., April 19, 21 and 27.