by Sylvia Long
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
We’ll all have tea.
Sukey, take it off again,
Sukey, take it off again,
Sukey, take it off again,
They’re all gone away.
Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot nine days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot nine days old.
“To bed, to bed,” says Sleepy-head;
“Let’s stay awhile,” says Slow.
“Put on the pan,” says Greedy-Nan,
“We’ll sup before we go.”
There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children
She didn’t know what to do.
So she gave them some broth,
With plenty of bread.
She kissed them all sweetly
And put them to bed.
Buttons, a farthing a pair!
Come, who will buy them of me?
They’re round and sound and pretty,
And fit for the girls of the city.
Come, who will buy them of me?
Buttons, a farthing a pair!
There was a crooked man,
Who walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence
Against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat
Which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a little crooked house.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
There were two blackbirds sitting on a hill.
One named Jack and the other named Jill.
Fly away, Jack! Fly away, Jill!
Come again, Jack! Come again, Jill!
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
“Yaup, yaup, yaup!”
Said the croaking voice of a frog;
“A rainy day
In the month of May,
And plenty of room in the bog.”
“Yaup, yaup, yaup!”
Said the frog, as it hopped away;
“The insects feed
On the floating weed,
And I’m hungry for dinner today.”
“Yaup, yaup, yaup!”
Said the frog, as it splashed about;
“Good neighbors all,
When you hear me call,
It is odd that you do not come out.”
“Yaup, yaup, yaup!”
Said the frog; “It is charming weather;
We’ll come and sup
When the moon is up,
And we’ll all of us croak together.”
Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day;
Little Johnny wants to play.
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs, in his nightgown,
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,
“Are the babes in their beds? For it’s now eight o’clock.”
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.
Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee,
The fly shall marry the bumblebee.
They went to the church, and married was she:
The fly has married the bumblebee.
Come take up your hats, and away let us haste,
To the Butterfly’s Ball, and the Grasshopper’s Feast.
The trumpeter, Gadfly, has summoned the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you.
Three little kittens they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, Mother dear, we sadly fear
That we have lost our mittens.
What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
No, you shall have no pie.
The three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, Mother dear, see here, see here,
That we have found our mittens.
Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,
Oh, let us have some pie.
Ride a cock-horse
To Banbury Cross
To see what Tommy can buy.
A penny white loaf,
A penny white cake,
And a two-penny apple pie.
Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Let me taste your ware.”
Said the pieman to Simple Simon,
“Show me first your penny.”
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Indeed I have not any.”
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety jog.
Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
Stole a pig, and away he run;
The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street.
The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing!
He’ll sit in the barn
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing!
Come hither, sweet robin,
And be not afraid,
I would not hurt even a feather;
Come hither, sweet robin,
And pick up some bread,
To feed you in this very cold weather.
I don’t mean to frighten you,
Poor little thing,
And pussycat is not behind me.
So hop about pretty,
And drop down your wing,
And pick up some crumbs,
And don’t mind me.
Mary had a little lamb
With fleece as white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day—
That was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know!”
The teacher did reply.
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none,
This little piggy cried wee-wee-wee . . .
All the way home.
Hot-cross buns!
Hot-cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross buns!
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it, and pat it, and mark it with B,
And put it in the oven for baby and me!
&nb
sp; A robin and a robin’s son
Once went to town to buy a bun.
They couldn’t decide on plum or plain,
And so they went back home again.
I love you well, my little brother,
And you are fond of me;
Let us be kind to one another,
As brothers ought to be.
You shall learn to play with me,
And learn to use my toys;
And then I think that we shall be
Two happy little boys.
See saw, Margery Daw,
Jacky shall have a new master.
Jacky shall have but a penny a day,
Because he can’t work any faster.
Come, my children, come away,
For the sun shines bright today;
Little children, come with me,
Birds and brooks and posies see;
Get your hats and come away,
For it is a pleasant day.
Everything is laughing, singing,
All the pretty flowers are springing;
See the kitten, full of fun,
Sporting in the brilliant sun;
Children too may sport and play,
For it is a pleasant day.
Bring the hoop, and bring the ball,
Come with happy faces all;
Let us make a merry ring,
Talk and laugh, and dance and sing.
Quickly, quickly, come away,
For it is a pleasant day.
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Our cottage vale is deep;
The little lamb is on the green,
With woolly fleece so soft and clean.
Sleep, baby, sleep.
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Down where the woodbines creep;
Be always like the lamb so mild,
A kind and sweet and gentle child.
Sleep, baby, sleep.
Bossy-cow, bossy-cow, where do you lie?
In the green meadow under the sky.
Billy-horse, billy-horse, where do you lie?
Out in the stable with nobody nigh.
Birdies bright, birdies sweet, where do you lie?
Up in the treetops — oh, ever so high!
Baby dear, baby love, where do you lie?
In my warm crib, with Mama close by.
Come to the window,
My baby, with me,
And look at the stars
That shine on the sea!
There are two little stars
That play at bo-peep
With two little fish
Far down in the deep,
And two little frogs
Cry “Neep, neep, neep.”
I see a dear baby
That should be asleep.
INDEX OF FIRST LINES
The index entries below are as they appeared in the print version of the book and are included here for your reference. Please use the search function on your eReader to search for terms of interest.
A robin and a robin’s son
A was an angler
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool
Bossy-cow, bossy-cow, where do you lie
Bow-wow, says the dog
Bow, wow, wow
Buttons, a farthing a pair
Cackle, cackle, Mother Goose
Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe
Cock a doodle doo
Cock Robin got up early
Come hither, sweet robin
Come, my children, come away
Come take up your hats, and away let us haste
Come to the window
Curly-locks, Curly-locks, wilt thou be mine
Daffy-Down-Dilly is now come to town
Dame Trot and her cat
Dance, little baby, dance up high
Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John
Diddlety, diddlety, dumpty
Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee
Hey, diddle, diddle
Hickory, dickory, dock
Hot-cross buns
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Hush-a-bye, baby, upon the tree top
I love little pussy
I love you well, my little brother
Jack and Jill went up the hill
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Spratt could eat no fat
Little Betty Blue
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep
Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn
Little Jack Horner
Little Miss Muffet
Little Robin Red-breast
Little Tommy Tittlemouse
Lucy Locket lost her pocket
Mary had a little lamb
Mary, Mary, quite contrary
Monday’s child is fair of face
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
Old Mother Hubbard
Once I saw a little bird
One, two, buckle my shoe
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man
Pease porridge hot
Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater
Peter Piper picked a peck
Polly, put the kettle on
Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been
Rain, rain, go away
Ride a cock-horse
Ring around the rosies
Rock-a-bye, baby
Rub-a-dub-dub
See saw, Margery Daw
Simple Simon met a pieman
Sing a song of sixpence
Sleep, baby, sleep
The cock crows in the morn
The north wind doth blow
There was a crooked man
There was a little girl who had a little curl
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
There was an old woman who lived in Dundee
There were two birds sat upon a stone
There were two blackbirds sitting on a hill
There’s a neat little clock
This is the way we wash our hands
This little piggy went to market
Three blind mice
Three little kittens they lost their mittens
“To bed, to bed,” says Sleepy-head
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig
Tom, Tom, the piper’s son
Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town
“Yaup, yaup, yaup!”
SYLVIA LONG is the illustrator of many books for children including the bestselling Hush Little Baby, Ten Little Rabbits and Alejandro’s Gift. Ms. Long’s detailed paintings are inspired by her love of animals and the outdoors. She lives in Arizona. This is her ninth book.
