In the reign of the famous King Edward III there was a little boy called Dick Whittington, whose father and mother died when he was very young, so that he remembered nothing at all...
AN EAGLE made her nest at the top of a lofty oak; a Cat, having found a convenient hole, moved into the middle of the trunk; and a Wild Sow, with her young, took shelter in a hollo...
BY UNCLE NED. Moo, moo! What can I do For my little girl of three? I will eat the sweet grass, I will give her a glass Of my milk for her tea; Moo, moo! that 's what I'll do For my...
In the sky where the amber tints are seen on the clouds, Iris was born. She loved her home and all the beautiful things around her. Perhaps she sailed in the moon's silver boat and...
There was a little lady she was'nt very big She had a spotted cow ... Also a spotted pig ... Her dress had dots ... Her dog had lots ... it was a funny family but oh so very trig
A FLEA thus questioned an Ox: "What ails you, that being so huge and strong, you submit to the wrongs you receive from men and slave for them day by day, while I, being so small a...
BY JULIANA HORATIA EWING (ADAPTED) It is well known that the Fairy People cannot abide meanness. They like to be liberally dealt with when they beg or borrow of the human race; and...
A MONKEY perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting their nets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings. The Fishermen after a while gave up fishing, and on g...
All the bairns unborn will rue the day That the Isle of Man was sold away; And there's ne'er a wife that loves a dram, But what will lament for the Isle of Man.
SOME DOGS famished with hunger saw a number of cowhides steeping in a river. Not being able to reach them, they agreed to drink up the river, but it happened that they burst themse...
A HEN finding the eggs of a viper and carefully keeping them warm, nourished them into life. A Swallow, observing what she had done, said, "You silly creature! why have you hatched...
Once upon a time there lived in Japan a rat and his wife who came of an old and noble race, and had one daughter, the loveliest girl in all the rat world. Her parents were very pro...
The operation of counting-out is a very important mystery in many puerile games. The boys or girls stand in a row, and the operator begins with the counting-out rhyme, appropriatin...
A FOWLER caught a Partridge and was about to kill it. The Partridge earnestly begged him to spare his life, saying, "Pray, master, permit me to live and I will entice many Partridg...
A CERTAIN HOUSE was overrun with Mice. A Cat, discovering this, made her way into it and began to catch and eat them one by one. Fearing for their lives, the Mice kept themselves c...
In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife a...
"Nobody," said Cap'n Bill solemnly, "ever sawr a mermaid an' lived to tell the tale." "Why not?" asked Trot, looking earnestly up into the old sailor's face. They were seated on a...
A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail a...
A HOUND having started a Hare on the hillside pursued her for some distance, at one time biting her with his teeth as if he would take her life, and at another fawning upon her, as...
A LION roaming by the seashore saw a Dolphin lift up its head out of the waves, and suggested that they contract an alliance, saying that of all the animals they ought to be the be...
A MAN wished to purchase an Ass, and agreed with its owner that he should try out the animal before he bought him. He took the Ass home and put him in the straw-yard with his other...
Oh, my dear brother spider, With your body big and red, From the eaves you are hanging On a single little thread.
You strike three times on the top, you see, And strike three times on the bottom for me, Then top and bottom you strike very fast, And open a door in the middle at last.
By Josephine Preston Peabody My father brought Somebody up To show us all asleep. They came as softly up the Stairs As you could creep. They whispered in the Doorway there, And loo...
Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree, Up went the Pussy-Cat, and down went he! Down came Pussy-Cat, away Robin ran, Says little Robin Redbreast--catch me if you can. Little Robin...
A CROW caught in a snare prayed to Apollo to release him, making a vow to offer some frankincense at his shrine. But when rescued from his danger, he forgot his promise. Shortly af...
BY MARY AUSTIN (ADAPTED) In a short and shallow canyon running eastward toward the sun, one may find a clear, brown stream called the Creek of Pinon Pines; that is not because it i...
One day Br'er Fox struck up with Br'er Tarrypin right in the middle of the big road. Br'er Tarrypin he heard Br'er Fox coming, and he say to hisself that he'd sort of better keep o...
There was once a Dog which was so fierce and bad that his master had to tie a big clog round his neck lest he should bite and tease men and boys in the street. The Dog thought that...
BY LAURA E. RICHARDS Some children were at play in their playground one day when a herald rode through the town, blowing a trumpet, and crying aloud: "The King! The King passes by...