Which English author composed the nursery rhyme titled ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’?

The lyrics of the lullaby song and nursery rhyme called ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ is based on a poem written by Jane Taylor (1783-1824) called ‘The Star’ which appeared in 1806 in a volume published by the same author and her sister Ann Taylor, ‘Rhymes for the Nursery’. Her poem begins: ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star, / How I wonder what you are! / Up above the world so high, / Like a diamond in the sky. /

Taylor was a poet and novelist born in London, England. She was considered a member of the literary movement called Romanticism. As a prolific writer, she accepted the editorship of the religious ‘Youth’s Magazine’ and then wrote numerous short pieces for the magazine, including tales and personal essays.

She died at the age of 40 of breast cancer, her mind still “teeming with unfulfilled projects”. After her death, her brother Isaac collected many of her works and included a biography of her in ‘The Writings of Jane Taylor, In Five Volumes (1832).

Alternative versions and parodies of her poem have abounded. One of the best-known parodies of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is a poem recited by the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ (1865).