Much of Louisa May Alcott’s poetry was embedded in her novels and written or spoken by her characters, many of them children. I was attracted to these particular poems because of their peculiar blend of naiveté and world-weariness. In each poem, a potential for something darker, more complex, and even foreboding seemed to lurk behind the childlike simplicity of the exterior. It was an interesting and enjoyable challenge to write musical settings that attempted to bring out these hidden meanings.