The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

For all of life's adventures comes The Road Not Taken, which The New York Times Book Review calls "a book that begs rereading'".

This beautifully illustrated companion is inspired by Robert Frost's perennial poem. Heartwarming illustrations of a young boy journeying through a yellow wood accompany the original text of the poem. When a fork in the road arises for the boy, so too does the first of life's many choices. And as the poem progresses, so does the boy's life: college, career, marriage, family, loss, and, by journey's end, the sweet satisfaction of a life fully lived. The first children's book ever made of Frost's famous poem, this moving presentation makes an inspiring gift for graduation, marriage, career moves, and all of life's exciting roads. 

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Classics, American

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1916

About the author

Flinty, moody, plainspoken and deep, Robert Frost was one of America's most popular 20th-century poets. Frost was farming in Derry, New Hampshire when, at the age of 38, he sold the farm, uprooted his family and moved to England, where he devoted himself to his poetry. His first two books of verse, A Boy's Will (1913) and North of Boston (1914), were immediate successes. In 1915 he returned to the United States and continued to write while living in New Hampshire and then Vermont. His pastoral images of apple trees and stone fences -- along with his solitary, man-of-few-words poetic voice -- helped define the modern image of rural New England. Frost's poems include "Mending Wall" ("Good fences make good neighbors"), "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" ("Whose woods these are I think I know"), and perhaps his most famous work, "The Road Not Taken" ("Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- / I took the one less traveled by"). Frost was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times: in 1924, 1931, 1937 and 1943. He also served as "Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress" from 1958-59; that position was renamed as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry (or simply Poet Laureate) in 1986.

Frost recited his poem "The Gift Outright" at the 1961 inauguration of John F. Kennedy... Frost attended both Dartmouth College and Harvard, but did not graduate from either school... Frost preferred traditional rhyme and meter in poetry; his famous dismissal of free verse was, "I'd just as soon play tennis with the net down."

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book version of the famous Robert Frost poem. It is richly illustrated with forest scenery, but also includes images that hint towards life choices. Younger readers can focus on the more literal meanings and older readers can focus on the deeper meanings, which makes this a good book for all ages.

[leynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Road Not Taken" is a narrative poem by Robert Frost, first published in the August 1915 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, and later published as the first poem in the collection Mountain Interval (1916). Its central theme is the divergence of paths, both literally and figuratively, although its interpretation is noted for being complex and potentially divergent.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Frost spent the years 1912 to 1915 in England, where among his acquaintances was the writer Edward Thomas. Thomas and Frost became close friends and took many walks together. One day, as they were walking together, they came across two roads. Thomas was indecisive about which road to take, and in retrospect often lamented that they should have taken the other one. After Frost returned to New Hampshire in 1915, he sent Thomas an advance copy of "The Road Not Taken". Thomas took the poem seriously and personally, and it may have been significant in Thomas' decision to enlist in World War I. Thomas was killed two years later in the Battle of Arras.

The poem consists of four stanzas of five lines each. With the rhyme scheme as 'ABAAB', the first line rhymes with the third and fourth, and the second line rhymes with the fifth. The meter is basically iambic tetrameter, with each line having four two-syllable feet, though in almost every line, in different positions, an iamb is replaced with an anapest.

It is a frequently misunderstood poem, often read simply as a poem that champions the idea of "following your own path," but rather it expresses some irony regarding such an idea. Frost himself wrote the poem as a joke for his friend Edward Thomas, who was often indecisive about which route to take when the two went walking. A New York Times book review on Brian Hall's 2008 biography Fall of Frost states: "Whichever way they go, they're sure to miss something good on the other path." Regarding the "sigh" that is mentioned in the last stanza, it may be seen as an expression of regret or of satisfaction. However, there is significance in the difference between what the speaker has just said of the two roads, and what he will say in the future. According to Lawrance Thompson, Frost's biographer, as Frost was once about to read the poem, he commented to his audience, "You have to be careful of that one; it's a tricky poem—very tricky," perhaps intending to suggest the poem's ironic possibilities.

Thompson suggests that the poem's narrator is "one who habitually wastes energy in regretting any choice made: belatedly but wistfully he sighs over the attractive alternative rejected.” Thompson also says that when introducing the poem in readings, Frost would say that the speaker was based on his friend Edward Thomas. In Frost's words, Thomas was "a person who, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn't go the other. He was hard on himself that way."

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I respect it, but keep it away from me.

[Ruben Schuster Postiglione · Rating 5 out of 5]

How wholesome! Not only the words but the accompanying illustrations make this poem feel cozy. To be frank, I will be coming back to this poem pretty often as I tend to embody its core message. No matter how lost I may feel, I always choose the least trodden road even in my professional career.

[Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

it might be cheating to call this "reading" since it is mostly just simple - good but not outstanding - photographs with vague connections to the poem itself, but it would work as a pretty coffee table book

[violet ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

[Jim Erekson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great example of a complementary narrative relationship between pictures and words. The only 1-1 corresponding relationship came at the fork in the road. The quickness with which the pace unfolds once the boy chooses his path is an astonishing shift from the quiet amble the book begins with. The boy's move to the city to plan his return to the country as an architect/designer is clearly more deliberate than Frost's poem, which he said was intended to be a joke about indecisiveness and fatalism. This romantic rural-urban-rural path is probably an oversimplification of Frost's work, but clearly in keeping with the way popular thinking has taken the idea of the 'road less traveled by'. There's an irony in this, because the title of the poem is "The Road Not Taken" and this book does nothing to illustrate that path--I was disappointed by this, given the way the poem could set up a storyboard with a 2-pronged, diverging picture narrative. What happened along the road not taken?

[Children's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Road Not Taken transforms Robert Frost’s timeless poem into a gorgeous picture book.

The original poem remains unchanged and is accompanied by absolutely beautiful illustrations by Vivian Mineker. The illustrations thoughtfully depict the life of a boy from childhood into old age… he starts by walking through a “yellow wood.” When he reaches a fork in the path, the story visualizes how that moment shapes his entire life: from schooling and friendships to career, love, marriage, family, loss, and, ultimately, reflection and fulfillment in old age.

I’ve always tried to introduce classic poetry and literature to my students. It’s always nice when you find books like this that feature such beautiful illustrations. Frost has always been a favorite of mine, so picking this one up was an easy decision.

In summary, this book is an elegant educational tool and a meaningful gift… it’s beautiful, insightful, and definitely worth adding to your bookshelf.

[Hareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

[Milli]

Have to reach that Goodreads goal 🫢

[J9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had forgotten how much I loved this poem. Learned it in high school and have never forgotten it. Frost is one of the best poets.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely picture book whose illustrations and poetry made me really think about the Butterfly Effect.

[sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / and that has made all the difference.”

This was so beautifully done :’)

[Mert · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Stars (%88/100)

Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” stands as one of the most iconic and deceptively simple poems in American literature, encapsulating the human experience of choice and its lingering ambiguities. Its reflective tone and pastoral imagery invite readers to ponder the paths not taken in their own lives, while the speaker’s concluding lines complicate the idea of decisive individuality. With its lyrical beauty and philosophical resonance, the poem endures as a profound meditation on free will, regret, and the stories we tell ourselves about our past decisions. I liked this picture book edition.

[Carl K. Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beautiful graphics fits in where the poetry hangs. It's cross in the road, it is father and son. It is so much said and illustrated.

I gave this book a five because of the beautiful illustrations that carries the poetry. I will recommend it because it speaks volumes in limited pages.

[Cantey kelleher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not buy Kindle version

Beautiful poem by Frost and beautifully illustrated but Kindle version jumps pages. No way to understand and appreciate this timeless piece of literature. Very disappointing!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic and really
good poem, IMO.

[Vaisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poem made me to realize that irrespective of the truth, our perception of the choices is going to shape our reality not just the choices we make.