Actually, the first 15 songs in this collection were composed in 1883, while the last was written two years earlier. The first 14 come from a collection of poetry entitled Snowdrop, by Alexei Plesheyev, a good if lesser-known Russian poet.

The first song is "Grandmother and Grandson," an exchange between a young boy and his grandmother, each portrayed in a different key. The mood is slightly sentimental and Tchaikovsky supplies a touching main theme that turns cute when the tempo increases. "The Little Bird" is another charming creation telling of a bird who asks God to aid a poor ploughman. No. 3, "Spring," is delightful and sunny, while the ensuing "My Little Garden" shares much the same mood, but is cheerier. The fifth song, "A Legend," tells of the Christ-child being crowned with a wreath of thorns by children who have "leveled all the flowers to the ground" in his garden. The music here is much more serious than in the previous songs, featuring a theme both noble and sad. "On the River Bank" (No. 6) is charming with its story of an overdue fisherman's return to his worried family, and "A Winter's Evening," is effectively atmospheric in portraying a mother telling a story to her children. "The Cuckoo" (No. 8) is deliciously playful and humorous, and the second "Spring" (No. 9) is bright and colorful in depicting the welcome signs of spring. "Lullaby in a Storm" is a slow and wistful lullaby of a mother to her sleeping child. "The Flower" features a lovely theme that becomes a bit tense in its repetitions in the first half, but turns charmingly mellow and soothing in the latter part. No. 12, "Winter," presents a bright take on the cold season. Tchaikovsky (and Plesheyev) must have liked Spring, because the 13th entry is the third work here dealing with it, "Spring Song." This one is gentle but bright in mood, its moderate tempo and mellow character uniting perfectly. "Autumn" (No. 14) is quite different in mood, its harmonies bleak and the vocal line rather somber. "The Swallow," with a text by Ivan Surikov, is light and charming, featuring a simple but attractive theme. A Little Children's Song, a nonsense verse by Konstantin Axakov, offers a colorful close. Only three of these songs are strophic settings—Nos. 6, 14, and 16. Performed as a cycle, this Op. 54 collection lasts about 45 to 50 minutes and presents few challenges to the singer.

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