he is often remembered for his most famous poems, including "the raggedy man" and "little orphant annie". many of his poems used events and people from his childhood as an inspiration for subject their matter. his poems often contain morals and warnings for children, with messages telling children to care for the less fortunate of society. david galens and van allen both see these messages as riley's subtle response to the turbulent economic times of the gilded age and the growing progressive movement. riley believed that urbanization robbed children of their innocence and sincerity, and in his poems he attempted to introduce and idolize characters who had not lost those qualities. his children's poems are "exuberant, performative, and often display riley's penchant for using humorous characterization, repetition, and dialect to make his poetry accessible to a wide-ranging audience".