Kindergarten Read Aloud Banquet



Nursery Songs for September

Dickory Dock



London Bridge



Puss at Court



Ye Frog's Wooing




A Child's Garden of Verses

Looking-Glass River

Smooth it glides upon its travel,

Here a wimple, there a gleam—

O the clean gravel!

O the smooth stream!


Sailing blossoms, silver fishes,

Paven pools as clear as air—

How a child wishes

To live down there!


We can see our coloured faces

Floating on the shaken pool

Down in cool places,

Dim and very cool;


Till a wind or water wrinkle,

Dipping marten, plumping trout,

Spreads in a twinkle

And blots all out.


See the rings pursue each other;

All below grows black as night,

Just as if mother

Had blown out the light!


Patience, children, just a minute—

See the spreading circles die;

The stream and all in it

Will clear by-and-by.


  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 14 Unc' Billy Possum Visits the Smiling Pool The Voyage (Part 2 of 2) Little Tuppen The Robins Build a Nest The Two Paths The Pea Story Jonathan, the Soldier Prince
One, Two, Three Dickery, Dickery, Dock The Dove and the Wren Lucy Locket Master I Have Little Jack Horner Pins
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Frederick Richardson's Book for Children  by Frederick Richardson

[Illustration]

dropcap image NCE on a time there were three Billy-goats, who were to go up to the hill-side to make themselves fat, and the name of all three was Gruff.

On the way up was a bridge over a burn they had to cross; and under this bridge lived a great ugly Troll, with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a poker.

So first of all came the youngest billy-goat Gruff to cross the bridge.


[Illustration]

"Trip, trap; trip, trap!" went the bridge.

"WHO'S THAT tripping over my bridge?" roared the Troll.

"Oh! it is only I, the tiniest billy-goat Gruff; and I'm going up to the hill-side to make myself fat," said the billy-goat, with such a small voice.

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the Troll.

"Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy-goat; "wait a bit till the second billy-goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

"Well! be off with you," said the Troll.

A little while after came the second billy-goat Gruff to cross the bridge.

"TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP!" went the bridge,

"WHO'S THAT tripping over my bridge?" roared the Troll.


[Illustration]


[Illustration]

"Oh! it's the second billy-goat Gruff, and I'm going up to the hill-side to make myself fat," said the billy-goat, who hadn't such a small voice.

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the Troll.

"Oh, no! don't take me. Wait a little till the big billy-goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

"Very well! be off with you," said the Troll.


[Illustration]

But just then up came the big billy-goat Gruff.

"TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP! TRIP, TRAP!" went the bridge, for the billy-goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him.

"WHO'S THAT tramping over my bridge?" roared the Troll.

"IT'S I! THE BIG BILLY-GOAT GRUFF," said the billy-goat, who had an ugly, hoarse voice of his own.


[Illustration]

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," roared the Troll.

"Well, come along! I've got two spears,

And I'll poke your nose and pierce your ears;

I've got besides two curling-stones,

And I'll bruise your body and rattle your bones."

That was what the big billy-goat said; and so he flew at the Troll, and tossed him out into the burn, and after that he went up to the hill-side. There the billy-goats got so fat they were scarcely able to walk home again; and if the fat hasn't fallen of them, why they're still fat; and so:

Snip, snap, snout,

This tale's told out.


[Illustration]