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Abstract: The article deals with the verse specificity of R. A. Kudasheva’s poetic works, considered on the material of her 12 fairy-tales for children of the early 20th century. The analysis aims to clarify the preference and artistic functionality of the metrical-rhythmic, phonic and strophic forms used by the author in order to give an idea about the content-aesthetic position of Kudasheva and about the place of her unexplored heritage in the history of literature. Conducted on the basis of the comparative-historical approach, this research focuses on the concepts, methods and results of the modern studies of verse, especially those of M. L. Gasparov and his school. The conclusions obtained present a number of functionally significant features of Kudasheva’s poetics: 1) increased attention to the rhythmization of poetic texts in traditional forms, most suitable for children’s perception (in the use of classical syllabo-tonic meters with a pronounced variety of their metrical-rhythmic modifications; in addressing only rhymed verse, including sufficient and mostly accurate rhymes, – against which single consonances and blank lines perform the role of interruptions, carrying a plot-organizing composition function; in the preference for stanzas); 2) the choice of the verse meter of the poem with a certain system of endings typical of the late 19th century Russian poetry tradition of semantization of metrical and rhythmic forms – and their creative implementation in the plots of fairy-tales; 3) agreement and integration of Russian and Western European poetic traditions in the process of genre formation. The abovementioned trends are purposive in nature and express Kudasheva’s authored position: to support and develop her most important idea of harmony formulated not only in the plots of her fairy-tales but also through a system of verse forms. The results of the study conducted in this article can be used in research and teaching activities related to the study of the formation and development of children’s literature.