Rhyme & Reason
Jack and Jill or the mulberry bush—take your pick.
THE CONTEMPORARY GETS
Jugend-Köynnös (above, top)
Thanks to not-too-girly blue flowers and scrolling gray vines, this art-nouveau floral from Finland is a perfect choice for either a boy's or a girl's nursery (or mom and dad's room). $58 a roll Tapettitalo
Nursery Rhymes Vintage (above, middle)
All the classics—from "Humpty Dumpty" to "Three Little Kittens"—are represented on this pre-aged reproduction of 1940s wallpaper.
$6.50 a square foot DesignYourWall.com
Maiden & Moonflower (above, bottom)
With hand-drawn, dreamlike imagery of branches, owls, and stars, this paper will bring magic and sophistication to a kid's bedroom.
$450 a roll Kiki Smith for Studio Printworks
THE ARCHIVAL GEM
Nursery Rhymes, 1876
This print by artist Walter Crane depicts "Hey, Diddle, Diddle" and other childhood favorites in a grown-up style influenced by the arts-and-crafts movement. Crane's seven children's wallpapers ended up in many of Europe's and America's most elegant houses, including the nursery of the Mark Twain house in Hartford, Connecticut, a masterpiece of American aesthetic-movement design.
