

QUESTIONS.
Why is sugar always sweet? Why are lemons sour? Why do sixty little minutes 
Always make an hour?
Why does tickling make you laugh? And onions make you cry? Why does the moon 
never fall Out of the 
dark night
sky?
There are so many things to learn So long as you're alive, And I'm already getting on, 
You see, I'm nearly five.

MISSING.
Has anybody seen my mouse ? I opened his box for half a minute, Just to make sure 
he was really in it,
And while I was looking, he jumped outside! I tried to catch him, I tried, I tried . . . I 
think he's 
somewhere about the
house.
Has anyone seen my mouse?
Uncle John, have you seen my mouse?
Just a small sort of mouse, a dear little brown one;
He came from the country, he wasn't a town  one,
So he'll feel all lonely in a London street, Why, what could he possibly find to eat?
He must be somewhere. I'll ask Aunt Rose: Have you seen a mouse with a woffelly 
nose? Oh, somewhere 
About - 
He's just got out . . .
Hasn't anybody seen my mouse?
A. A. MILNE, in " When We were Very Young." (Methuen.)

WAVES.
There are big waves and little waves,
Green waves and blue,
Waves you can jump over,
Waves you dive through,
Waves that rise up
Like a great water wall,
Waves that swell softly
And don't break at all,
Waves that can whisper,
Waves that can roar,
And tiny waves that run at you
Running on the shore.
-ELEANOR FARJEON.

FISH AND BIRD.
How happy to be a fish,
To dive and skim,
To dart and float and swim
And play!
How happy to be a bird,
To fly and sing,
To glide on feathered wing
All day!
- Rosemary Brinckman in "Child Education." (Evans.)

TROUBLE AT THE FARM.
Help! Help! Help! Help!
What's to do ?
Dobbin the horse
Has cast his shoe!
Help! Help!
What is the matter?
Porkie the pig
Has eaten the platter!
What is it now? Sammie the sheep-dog Is chasing the cow!
 Oh! dear!
 What a to-do!
 Such muddles and troubles
 I never knew!
-Ivy EASTWICK, in "Child Education." (Evans.)

THE DOCTOR.
He comes with Mother up the stair, And by my bed he takes a chair, And 
says in such a twinkly way,
"And how's the invalid to-day?"
He sees my tongue, he sees my throat, He has a thing inside his coat With 
which he listens at my chest, And that is
what I like the best.
He often makes me stay in bed When I would rather play instead; And gives 
me horrid things to take In bottles that
you have to shake.
And yet I never really mind Because he is so very kind.
ROSE FYLEMAN, in "Fairies and Friends.". (Methuen.)

FAIRIES.
Don't go looking for fairies,
They'll fly away if you do.
You never can see the fairies
Till they come looking for you.
-ELEANOR FARJEON, in "Joan's Door." (Collins.)

THE EGG.
I said to my egg "Can you stand on one leg?" I knew that it wouldn't, I knew that it 
couldn't, But 
said I to my egg,
"Can you stand on one leg?"
I said to my egg "Can you sit up and beg?" It's getting much fatter, That's just what's 
the matter, 
And that's why my
egg, Cannot sit up and beg.
My egg said to me, " It's as plain as can be, You must cut off my head And then when 
I'm dead Just 
eat me for tea.
For I cannot beg, Or stand on one leg, And it isn't my fault, But with pepper and salt I 
think you'll agree Nothing's better than me."

FRIDAY STREET.
Where shall we meet, O where shall we meet? We'll meet to be sure in Friday Street.
Shall we meet on Saturday? - O dear no! On Saturday, on Saturday, I have to knead 
the dough.
Shall we meet on Sunday? - O dear no! On Sunday, on Sunday, to church I must go.
Shall we meet on Monday? - O dear no! On Monday I wash linen, white as driven 
snow.
Shall we meet on Tuesday? - O dear no! On Tuesday I darn the socks, heel and toe.
Shall we meet on Wednesday? - O dear no! On Wednesday I've a meadowful of grass 
to mow.
Shall we meet on Thursday? - O dear no! 
On Thursday my best bonnet wants a new satin bow.
Then when shall we meet, O when shall we meet?
On Friday, to be sure, in Friday Street.
-ELEANOR FARJEON.

WHO?
I know the dates of queens and kings, Geography and other things; But 
what's the person's name who stops Your
hoop because it's time for tops!
Who sends the news to everyone That marble-playing has begun? And who is it 
that tells you when Hop-scotch is all
the rage again?
Hop-scotch and hoops come round each year, Marbles and tops in turn appear; 
But, oh! how much I'd like to know
Who tells them when to come and go!
-ELIZABETH FLEMING, in " The Big Budget for Children." (Blackie.)


ABSENT-MINDED WALTER.
Walter Wiggs, of Westgate-on-Sea, Is just as forgetful as he can be. One night he put 
his umbrella to bed, And stood
himself up in the rack instead.
-CYRIL WINNING.


DICKY DORNERS AND PETER DOOLISH.
Little Dicky Dorners
Rushed round corners
On his little scooter-
Didn't sound his hooter.
As for Peter Doolish,
He was just as foolish,-
 Always in a hurry,
Never seemed to worry.
 Both their mothers knew it;
Said, "One day you'll rue it."
On a summer's day,
Both were out to play,
On their scooters racing,
Up and down-hill chasing;
 Round the corners tearing,
 Never thinking, caring.
 Behind the hedge's cover,
 Neither saw the other,
Nor, with wheels a-humming,
Heard the other coming.
They met together with a crash!
Their mothers heard the fearful smash.
Both rushed out in dread surprise.
What a sight then met their eyes!
Dick and Peter on the ground-
Bits of scooter all around!
As luck would have it, both the boys
 Were unhurt. Alas! the toys!
Now the boys are seen about Trying to sort the pieces out.
-A. W. I. CHITTY, in "Child  Education." (Evans.)

 PARTS OF ME. 
A heart that's never tired of beating, Lungs to breathe the clean sweet air,
Eyes to see and ears to listen,
Lips to smile - a rosy pair.
A nose to sniff the sweet flowers' fragrance,
Milk-white teeth, to chew and champ,
Busy hands to get the work done,
Feet to run, and skip and stamp. 
A long, red tongue to, tell of wishes,
Surely none could do without, Sing glad songs, give cheery greetings, Whisper, 
whistle, whoop and  shout.

TAILS.
I sat and thought the other day Of different kinds of tails- Of tiny tails of birds and 
mice And big tails like the whale's.
The peacock's tail is very grand, All shot with blue and green, But the squirrel's tail so 
soft and bright Is the prettiest tail I've seen.
The giraffe's tail is very short  For anyone so tall, While, as for our three guinea-pigs - 
They have no tails at all!
The rabbit's little snow-white tuft Is like a powder puff - And all the tail a duckling's 
got
 Is just a bit of fluff.
The horse's tail is fine and long To flick the flies away; The lizard's tail, if broken off, 
Just grows another day.
My puppy's tail is seldom still, He wags it when he's pleased, But pussy, on the other 
hand, Wags hers if she is teased.
-CICELY ENGLEFIELD, in "The Big Budget for Children." (Blackie.)


APPLE-DUMPLINGS.
I wanted apple-dumplings,  But do you know what came?
A rice pudding! Rice pudding!
Wasn't it a shame?
It isn't that I'm greedy,
But, oh, it isn't nice
To wish for apple-dumplings
And find it's only rice!
When I can make the puddings  I'll choose them for myself,
And keep the rice and such-like
Hidden on the shelf.
The sago and the cornflour,
I'll put them all away,
And we'll have apple-dumplings
For dinner every day!
ELIZABETH FLEMING.

THE CHILD NEXT DOOR.
The child next door has a wreath on her hat; Her afternoon frock sticks 
out like that - 
All soft and frilly.
She doesn't believe in fairies at all (She told me over the garden wall)  
She thinks they're silly.
The child next door has a watch of her own; She has shiny hair, and her 
name is Joan
 (Mine's only Mary). But doesn't it seem very sad to you
To think that she never, her whole life through,
Has seen a fairy?  -ROSE FYLEMAN.


THE JOURNEY.
The whistle blew and the engine spoke, And out from the funnel came curly smoke. 
With a bun for her 
lunch and a
rug for her feet,  Sat Angela Jane in a corner seat. She journeyed twenty-two miles by 
train: " I do love to travel," 
said Angela Jane.
Her Grandma lived by a village green, In the nicest cottage she'd ever seen, With a 
rambler rose and 
a hive of bees,
And a see-saw under the apple trees, And flowers to pick in a winding lane: " I do 
love the country," said Angela Jane.
But at night the engine seemed to creep, Her coat was hot and her foot was asleep. It 
was ever so 
late, and she saw
the stars Shine over the buses and shops and cars, And the street lamps making a 
yellow chain: "I do 
love the city,"
said Angela Jane.
-LUCY BETTY MCRAYE, in " The Big Budget for Children." (Blackie.)

THE SPOON.
Before I eat my pudding,  I often stop to see If some one in my pudding spoon  Is 
really, really me; For up and down
they are so thin, . And sideways they're so fat, I don't believe it's possible
That I can look like that.
-ELIZABETH FLEMING

THE WIND.
I saw you toss the kites on high,
And blow the birds about the sky, And all around I heard you pass, Like 
ladies' skirts across the grass - O wind, a-blowing all day long!
O wind, that sings so loud a song.
I saw the different things you did, But always you yourself you hid. I felt 
you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all - O wind, a-blowing all day long! O wind, 
that sings so loud a song.
R. L. STEVENSON.


POOR PUPPY.
I don't know where I put my ball,
And some one's robbed my bone;
My basket's in the draughty hall;
They've left me quite alone.
I can't play with the kitchen mat,
For some one's washed the floor;
I can't run out and chase the cat
They've shut the garden door.
I don't feel well; I have a pain;
There's nothing I can chew;
I'd better go to sleep again What else is there to do ?
-J. WALKER, in "Punch." (Slightly adapted.)


THE BABY TREE.
To-day in the garden we planted a tree Which wasn't as tall as you are, or me. Some 
day it will stand 
up straight to
the sky Like a soldier on sentry; and by and by In spring and in summer it will be 
filled With small 
fluffy things that
will sing and  build. How magic it seems such a thing can be, When now it is smaller 
than you are, or 
me!


LITTLE WILD SPARROW.
The thing I'd like best in the whole of the land
Is to have a wild sparrow come sit on my hand
A little wild sparrow, or robin, or linnet,
Come sit on my hand and eat crumbs that are in it;
And if, when it's done it would rather not stay,
I'd love just to watch it fly freely away!
JOYCE L. BRISLEY.


PRINTING.
Please don't hurry me when I'm printing,  I've just got to stop and look, 
For all my printing tells a story Just like the
printing in a picture book.
A is a tent with a little top window. Q is an old mouse hiding its head. F 
is an E that nobody would finish. T is the
baker with a load of bread,
X is a kiss for the end of a letter. S is the river that flows through the 
town. L is a corner for little Jack Horner. J is a
walking-stick upside down.
H is a bar for turning somersaults. P is the flag on the castle hill. O is 
the hole that comes in my stocking. Y is a
little boy doing his drill.
Please don't hurry me when I'm printing, I have all these stories to tell. 
Every big fat CAPITAL has one, And some
little letters have a story as well.
-ISABEL M. LAIRD, in Blackies' " The Big Bumper Budget for Children."


THE DREAM.
All up the mountains, All down the vale, Ran Pretty Polly
Chased by a snail.
Down where the streamlet Flowed to the sea, Ran Pretty Polly
Fast as could be.
Then our Poor Polly, Turning her head, Found she had fallen
Out of her bed.
-B. K. PYKE, in " No. 1, Joy Street."

BATH NIGHT.
Some like bath night,
I DO NOT!
For the cold's so cold And the hot's so hot, And the soap goes slippering 
Up my nose, Into my eyes And between my toes; The sponge goes splurge And the floor gets wet, And there's suds on the wall 
And Nan's upset, And the steam curls up And the air looks white, And it's not like day, And it's not like night; And then Nan says 
I've had enough, And the chair feels hard, And the towels feel rough, And there's one thing that's funny And I'll whisper what - 
Some like bath night; But I . . . . . . !!!
-CARYL BRAHMS, in "The Moon on my Left." (Victor Gollancz.)


PERCIVAL PORKER.
Percival Porker has lost his coat
And goes about all bare.
There's wool on a sheep and hair on a goat,
.But Percival's tail is a question note
Still asking Why? and Where?
-WILFRID THORLEY.


SNOW.
The fields looked so chilly That winter cried " Oh, You all need a 
blanket! So down came the snow.
-MARY VIVIAN, in Blackies' " The Big  Bumper Budget for Children."

WE TWO.
We two were fragile little chaps; With great care to be handled; Our 
owner brought us from the store Within a basket
dangled; And all the way we trembled so, We were in fear of breaking, For 
on the wobbly motor-bus We got a
dreadful shaking.
And though we safely landed home, Our fate will make you shiver! Our 
owner fried  us in a pan With sausage, ham,
and liver! We could not run to save our lives, Because we had no legs; 
Oh, dear! I quite forgot to say We two were
new-laid eggs.!
--MABEL M. STEVENSON, in "Blackie's Children's Annual."
 
THE NEW UMBRELLA.
Mary Virginia Ursula Ella Got for her birthday a lovely umbrella,
With a carved wooden handle quite fit for a queen,
And a cover in silk of a beautiful green.
Mary Virginia Ursula Ella Went for a walk with her birthday umbrella, In 
her very best hat and her very best coat,
Just like the Princesses' - will you please note?
Mary Virginia Ursula Ella
Got caught in the rain with her lovely umbrella,
Though her clothes were all spoilt, her umbrella, the pet
Kept under her coat so it should not get wet. -DOROTHY DICKINSON. (Altered.)


SPLASH!
Splash ! said the raindrop And sat upon my mack. Splash! said another one And ran 
down my back. "You're very
rude," I said and looked Up into the sky, And another little raindrop fell
Splash! into my eye.
-HANNAH E. WILKINSON, in "Child Education." (Evans.)



BLACKBIRD.
See! see! see!
Who will! Who will! Down from the tree
How raindrops spill.
Sing! sing! sing!
I know! I know! Soon from the tree
Green leaves will grow.
-FRANCES LINDEN.

MY CREATURE FRIENDS.
I found a curious snail to-day,
All striped in brown and black;
I asked him why he always took
His house upon his back.
The little snail said nothing,
No answer could he find;
But just crawled slowly on and left
A silvery trail behind.
I played around the lily-pond
And saw a gold-fish there;
I said: " You must be very cold,
I have some vests to spare. "
The fish just swam around and round
And gave a glassy stare.
I think he did not mind the wet,
Perhaps he did not care.
A rabbit ran across my path,
He would not stay for me;
Quick! Out of sight-his bobtail white
Was all that I could see. 
But best of all the friends I met
In garden, pool, or tree
The speckled thrush who, perched above,
Sang a sweet song for me.
-R. NETTLETON.


THE TOWN CHILD AND THE COUNTRY CHILD
The Town Child.
I live in the town In a street; It is crowded with traffic And feet; There are buses and 
motors And trams; I wish there were meadows and lambs. The houses all wait In a 
row. There is smoke everywhere That I go. I don't like the noises I hear – I wish there 
were woods Very near. There is only one thing That I love, And that is the sky Far 
above. There is plenty of room In the blue For castles of clouds And me, too!
The Country Child.
My home is a house Near a wood; (I'd live in a street If I could!) The lanes are so 
quiet, Oh, dear! I do wish that someone lived near. There is no one to play with At all. 
The trees are so high And so tall; And I should be lonely For hours, Were it not for 
the birds And the flowers. I wish that I lived in a town – To see all the trams Going 
down A long twinkling street That is bright With wonderful colours At night.
- IRENE THOMPSON, in "Child Education." (Evans.)

FOUR AND EIGHT.
The Foxglove by the cottage door Looks down on Joe; and Joe is Four. The 
Foxglove by the garden gate Looks down
on Joan; and Joan is Eight.
" I'm glad we're small," said Joan, " I love To see inside the Fox's 
glove, Where taller, people cannot see, And all is
ready for the bee; The door is wide, the feast is spread, The walls are 
dotted rosy red."
" And only little people know How nice it looks in there, " said Joe. 
Said Joan, "The upper rooms are locked. A bee
went buzzing up - he knocked, But no one let him in; so then He bumbled 
gaily down again."
"Oh dear! " sighed Joe, " if only we could grow as little as that bee, We 
too might room by room explore The Foxglove
by the cottage door."
The Foxglove by the garden gate Looked down and smiled on Four and Eight.
-FFRIDA WOLFE.


DINNER.
What would you like for dinner to-day? I said to the horse; and he said " Hay! " " And 
now little puppy, what about
you ? " " A nice meaty bone that I can chew."
-KAY.

SINGING.
Why do I sing?
Oh, I don't know - I'm just all happy
From top to toe.
The grass is green,
And the wind does blow,
And the sun just shines
On everything.
Why do I sing?
Oh, I don't know.
-RACHEL MACANDREW.

THE CASTLE.
Ho! Mr. Fisherman, Have you seen a castle, A newish sort of castle! I'm sure it must 
be there. I
built it in the twilight,
With brown sand, with firm sand, And when I looked this morning, It wasn't 
anywhere.
Kind Mr. Boatman, Have you seen a castle, A royal sort of castle With towers on the 
wall? I finished 
it at twilight With
seaweed and sea-shells; I've hunted all the morning, But with no luck at all.
Stop! Mr. Policeman, You haven't seen a castle? Well, will you blow your whistle?
I'm afraid there's been a theft. I built one up at twilight, A big one, a strong one; 
Please could you find who's
stolen it? Because - there's nothing left.
-OLIVE DEHN. Altered extract from  " The Merry-go-Round."



LATE AGAIN.
"You're late again," the teacher said. " Now, Tommy, tell me why; One day 
you lost your cap, the next Your
stockings had to dry.
" You've said your mother wanted you, Your little sister cried - I'm certain 
you could be at school In good time if you
tried. "
" Oh, please, I started soon enough, Said Tommy, meek and low, "But I'd a 
friend to bring, and he - He was so very slow! "

CHRISTMAS EVE.
Tick-tock! " said the bedroom clock, "Please remember that little sock;
Mother, mend the hole in the toe,
Or the sweets will tumble out, you know.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, "
Said the clickity-clackity bedroom clock.
"Hush! hush! " said Santa Claus,
And the bedroom clock made a very short pause.
"I am looking about for a little sock,
Do you know where it is, please, Mr. Clock?"
" Tick-tock! tick-tock!
It hangs over there," said the bedroom clock.
"Tick-tock! " said the bedroom clock,
And pointed straight at the little sock.
Oh, yes, he did, for, don't you see,
A clock has hands like you and me.
" Tick-tock! tick-tock!
I am always right," said the bedroom clock.
-FLORENCE HOATSON, in the "Little White Gate." (Harrap.) (Adapted.)

JANE.
When I go to bed at night, When they take away the light, When they say 
"Good-night " once more, When they nearly shut the door, And they don't come back again, Then I have to call to Jane.
Jane is two, and very small; Jane can hardly talk at all; Jane is lovely 
fun by day, When I think of games to play; But
at night, when we're in bed, I wish Jane was five instead.
"Jane," I call, " dear darling Jane, "Can't you wake and have a pain?
Can't you make a crying noise . 
(Girls can do that more than boys)? If you have the littlest fright, 
Mummy'll bring us in a light.
Jane won't answer, and it seems Jane is having jolly dreams; So I lie quite still and see Just how quiet I can be, And, until 
it's day again, Try to share a dream with Jane.



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