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

My Shadow

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.


The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.


He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward, you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!


One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 27 The Singers of the Smiling Pool Neighbors
The Way Home 		The Tale of Benjamin Bunny The Day When the Grass Was Cut What Harriet Did on Sunday The Dinner-Time and Jonah Story The Boyhood of the King
The Man of Bombay Caesar's Song Poor Old Robinson Crusoe! Good Night and Good Morning! A Sieve Jack and Jill My Maid Mary
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Old Old Tales Retold  by Frederick Richardson
[Illustration]

dropcap image ONG, long ago an old hen and her one little chicken went into the woods. The little chicken was named Tuppens. Scratch, scratch, they were busy all day among the leaves finding seeds to eat.

"Do not eat the big seeds," said the old hen to Little Tuppens, "for they will make you cough."

But by and by little Tuppens found a big seed and ate it. Then little Tuppens began to cough. The old hen was frightened at this and ran to the spring. She said:

"Please, spring, give me some water,

Little Tuppens is coughing."

[Illustration]

The spring said:

"Get me a cup and then I will give you some water."

The old hen ran to the oak-tree and said:

"Please, oak-tree, give me a cup;

Then the spring will give me some water.

Little Tuppens is coughing."

The oak-tree said:

"Shake me. Then I will give you a cup."

The old hen ran to the little boy and said:

"Please, little boy, shake the oak-tree;

Then the oak-tree will give me a cup;

And the spring will give me some water.

Little Tuppens is coughing."

[Illustration]

The little boy said:

"Give me some shoes. Then I can shake the oak-tree for you."

The old hen ran to the shoe-maker and said:

"Please, good shoe-maker, give me some shoes for the little boy;

Then the little boy will shake the oak-tree;

And the oak-tree will give me a cup;

And the spring will give me some water.

Little Tuppens is coughing."

The shoe-maker said:

"Get me some leather and then I will make some shoes for the little boy."

The old hen ran to the cow and said:

"Please, cow, give me some leather;

Then the shoe-maker will make shoes for the little boy;

And the little boy will shake the oak-tree;

And the oak-tree will give me a cup;

And the spring will give me some water.

Little Tuppens is coughing."

[Illustration]

The cow said:

"Get me some corn and then I will give you some leather."

[Illustration]

The old hen ran to the farmer and said:

"Please, good farmer, give me corn for the cow;

Then the cow will give me some leather for the shoe-maker;

And the shoe-maker will make shoes for the little boy;

And the little boy will shake the oak-tree;

And the oak-tree will give me a cup;

And the spring will give me some water.

Little Tuppens is coughing."

[Illustration]

The farmer said:

"Get me a plow and then I can give you some corn."

The old hen ran to the blacksmith and said:

"Please, good blacksmith, give me a plow for the farmer;

Then the farmer will give me some corn for the cow;

And the cow will give me some leather for the shoe-maker;

And the shoe-maker will give me some shoes for the little boy;

And the little boy will shake the oak-tree;

And the oak-tree will give me a cup;

And the spring will give me some water;

Little Tuppens is coughing."

[Illustration]

The blacksmith said:

"Get me some iron and then I can give you a plow."

The old hen ran to the dwarfs and asked for some iron for the blacksmith.


[Illustration]

When she had told her story about Little Tuppens to the dwarfs, they wanted to help. They went into their cave and brought out some iron for the blacksmith.

Then the blacksmith made a plow for the farmer;

And the farmer gave some corn for the cow;

And the cow gave some leather for the shoe-maker;

And the shoe-maker made some shoes for the little boy;

And the little boy shook the oak-tree;

And the oak-tree gave a cup;

And the spring gave some water;

And the old hen gave the water to Little Tuppens

And Little Tuppens stopped coughing.

[Illustration]