1 shared reading

READING

Shared Reading

Table of Contents

Shared Reading

51

Shared Reading Five Day Lesson Plans

53

Adapted Shared Reading For Grades 3-5

55

Explicit Teaching of a Target During Shared Reading

58

Shared Reading Targets

59

Shared Reading Target Bookmarks

64

Copyright Information

66

Poem Titles for Grades 3-5

69

Poems in the Public Domain for Grade 3

76


86


94Shared Reading

Definition: Shared reading is a daily, whole class instructional process. The teacher engages students by inviting predictions, responses and reflections. Shared reading text should be previously unseen, visible to all and above most students instructional levels. The teacher demonstrates fluent reading and provides explicit instruction in strategies and skills. Vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, phonics skills, and genre characteristics are taught.

Share Reading Guidelines:

Limit the time to approximately 15 minutes daily.

Select a narrative, rhythmical text that will be inviting and interesting to students for 5 days.

Choose a text that supports explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, mechanics, print conventions and comprehension.

Explicitly teach one target per lesson.

The following page numbers reference the Literacy Curriculum Teacher Manual K-5 as they correlate to the shared reading instructional component.

Concepts About PrintPhonemic AwarenessPhonicsEnjoyment/

PredictionVocabulary

Pages:

D- 4-11

D-19

D-24

D-25

D-29

D-34

F-1Pages:

D-8/9

D-11

D-13

D-16Pages:

D-8-12

D-16

D-19

D- 22-25

D- 32-35

Pages:

D-7

D-21

D-31

F-1Pages:

D-10/11

D- 22-24

D- 32-34

Print

ConventionsLanguage

MechanicsComprehensionResponds

To

TextESOL

Pages:

D-18

E-4Pages:

D-10/11

D- 22-25

D- 32-35

E-4Pages:

D-4 through

D-45Pages:

D-5

D-12

F-2

F-6

Pages

LA2

LA7

LA10

Selecting Text for Shared Reading

Primary

When selecting text for shared reading, consider the following questions:

Does the book have impact, excitement and engage the reader?

Does the book have a predictable storyline and provide for the broadening of insights?

Does the story development lead the students to participate in problem solving?

Does the book have interesting pictures that develop and support the story line?

Is the print size large enough to read in a group?

Is the sentence structure appropriate for fluent reading?

Does the story have rhyme, rhythm and/or repetition?

Does the story hold students interest over repeated readings?

Is the text one that most students would not be able to read on their own?

Is the storyline easily remembered and does it provide opportunities for movement, drama, innovation, and other varieties of language exploration?

Intermediate


Does the poem have impact, excitement and engage the reader?

Does the poem have a predictable storyline and provide for the broadening of insights?

Does the poem development lead the students to participate in problem solving?

Is the print size large enough to read in a group?


Does the poem hold students interest over repeated readings?

Is the poem one that most students would not be able to read on their own?

Text:__________________________________________________________

(UnseenEnlargedRhythmicalAble to be Retold)

Day 1: Enjoyment and Prediction

1. Building background (schema): __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ (accept only a few responses).

2. Introduce text.

3. Accept only a few predictions.

4. Read modeling fluency.Day 2: Vocabulary and Language Usage

1. Read the text modeling fluency.

2. Define unfamiliar vocabulary: ____________________ _____________________

3. Language target:______________________________________________________________________4. Target definition: _____________________________________________________________________Day 3: Print Conventions / Language Mechanics


2. Convention or mechanics target:_____________________________________________________________________

3. Target definition: _____________________________________________________________________________

Day 4: Reading Strategies


2. Specific reading target (phonics, comprehension or visual language target):____________________________

3. Target definition: _____________________________________________________________________Day 5: Response To Text


2. Processing response: ________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adapted from National Literacy Coalition

Shared Reading

Day Five

Responses/Processing

Visual Responses/Illustrations

Comic Strip

Advertisement

Wanted Poster

Caricature

Costume Design

Drawing

PaintingVisual Responses/Graphic Organizers

Comparison Chart/Venn Diagrams Family Tree Story Structure Chart Character Web Time Line Map Blueprint Outline Flow Chart

Oral Responses

Storytelling

Role Play

Oral Interpretation

Monologue

Discussion

Newscast

Written Responses

Letter

Diary Entry

News Article

New Ending

Parallel Structure Writing

Song

Essay

Dialogue Script

Review

Critique

Editorial

Adapted Shared Reading

For Grades 3-5One of the major goals of shared reading is to help students develop a range of effective strategies for reading and understanding text (Read It Again!, Parkes, 2000). For older students, shared reading provides support to make difficult texts accessible to all students in a class. The emphasis may not be on making anticipations at the word level but rather on supporting students as they interpret and analyze more challenging texts. In order to accommodate the depth of study for more sophisticated targets, teachers in grades 3-5 may find it necessary to use picture books, short stories, and the core programs anthology. In addition, the purpose for the adapted shared reading format gives students the opportunity to hear information and story from a variety of genres and styles. With the teacher doing the decoding, students are able to focus on making meaning from text and connecting the text to their own lives(On The Same Page, Allen 2002). Therefore, depending on the materials used and the depth at which a target needs to be taught, days spent using a text may need to be adjusted from the 5 day lesson plan format. In the adapted shared reading format, students all have a copy of the same text or the text is projected and visible to all students. The teacher engages students by inviting predictions, response and reflections. The teacher demonstrates fluent reading and provides explicit instruction in strategies and skills. The teacher demonstrates, or shows kids how, including explaining the strategy or skill, thinking aloud about the mental processes used to construct meaning, and demonstrating when and why it is most effective. Students are invited to practice a strategy or skill during whole-class discussions and asked to apply it in collaboration with peers in pairs or small groups. However, the interaction should not detract from the fluent reading of the text but rather should complement and enrich the reading.

The shared reading 5 day format and the adapted format hold significant instructional value in a 3rd 5th grade classroom. Therefore, a teacher in grades 3-5 should allow for and balance instructional time for both shared reading formats.

Selecting Text for Adapted Shared Reading


Does the text have impact, excitement and engage the reader?

Does the have complex concepts, language patterns and story structures?

Does the text evoke emotional responses?


Does the text employ rich language to create visual images?

Does the text expand students world knowledge

Adapted from Janet Allen: On The Same Page

Adapted Shared Reading Lesson Plan

Schema Question: Ask a question that will assist the students in making connection to the text.

Introduction: Explicitly name and define the genre for the text.

Establish Purpose: Teacher may establish purpose by using:

prediction

brainstorm

concept web

anticipation guide

words in context

KWL

discussion

other CRISS strategies

Teacher Reads the Text Aloud While Thinking Aloud or Commenting

PageSentence/ParagraphThink Aloud/Discussion Stop Points

4P-2Text To Text Connection-When I was lost at the mall.

Explicit Teaching of a Target

name the target

define the target

explain the rationale/reason for the target

explain when to use the target

model the target using this text practice the target (in context) with the group ask students to restate the targetFeedback and/or Sharing

Response To Text

Adapted Shared Reading Lesson Plan

Text:_____________________________________________________________________________________

Author:__________________________________________________________________________________

Schema Question: _________________________________________________________________________

Introduction: Genre:________________________ Definition: ____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Establish Purpose: _________________________________________________________________________

Teacher Reads the Text Aloud While Thinking Aloud or Commenting

PageSentence/ParagraphThink Aloud/Discussion Stop Points


name the target_______________________________________________________________________

define the target______________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

explain the rationale/reason for the target_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

explain when to use the target___________________________________________________________

model the target using this text: pg ______________________________________________________ practice the target (in context) with the group pg. __________, pg. __________, pg. ___________ ask students to restate the targetFeedback and/or Sharing

Response To Text: _________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


During Shared Reading

1. Name the target.

2. Define the target.

3. Explain the rationale/reason for target.

4. Explain when to use the target.

5. Model the target.

6. Practice the target (in context) with the group.7.Ask students to restate the target.

Shared Reading

Day Two Targets

Shaded area indicates grade taughtTargetK12345

Sight words

Letter/Sound ID

Concepts About Print

Language Usage Targets

Action words

Rhyming words

Colorful comparisons

Tense

Nouns

Prefixes

Suffixes

Metaphor

Simile

Alliteration

Personification

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

Diction

Slang

Dialogue

Flashback

Tone

Mood

Negative definition

Dialect

Pun

Jargon

Idiom

Oxymoron

Style

Sarcasm

Foreshadowing

Analogies

Extended metaphor

Understatement

Assonance

Consonance

Symbolism

Shared Reading

Day Three Targets Shaded area indicates grade taughtTargetK12345

Phonemic awareness

Conventions Targets

Period

Comma

Hyphen

Semicolon

Question mark

Apostrophe

Dash

Parentheses

Quotation marks

Colon

Exclamation mark

Ellipse

Italics

Brackets

Asterisk

Mechanics Targets

Capitalization

Plurals

Abbreviations

Subject/verb agreement

Pronoun/antecedent agreement

Verb forms

Paragraphing

Noun case

Active/passive voice

Enjambment

Stanza

Verse

Shared Reading

Day Four Targets

Shaded area indicates grade taught

TargetK12345

Phonics / Decoding Targets

Uses pictures to cue reading

Combines picture cues with graphophonic (initial consonant) cues

Uses semantic cues (meaning from prior knowledge)

Uses syntactic cues (word order from prior knowledge)

Uses semantic cues (meaning from context)

Combines graphophonic cues (initial consonants with word families)

Combines graphophonic cues (consonant-vowel-consonant)

Combines graphophonic cues (c-v-c-v)

Combines graphophonic cues (c-v-v-c)

Uses syntactic cues (word form [plural/singular] from prior knowledge)

Uses syntactic cues (word tense [present/past] from prior knowledge)

Combines graphophonic cues (familiar parts of a word)

Uses graphophonic cues (vowel combinations)

Uses graphophonic cues (r controlled vowels)

Goes back to the beginning of the sentence and reads again when an unknown word is encountered

Jumps over an unknown word, reads to the end, comes back, and tries again for decoding

Shared Reading

Day Four Targets ContinuedShaded area indicates grade taughtTargetK12345

Comprehension Targets

Identifies beginning and end of story

Retells a shared story in sequence

Identifies character(s)

Describes character(s)

Analyzes the impact of character(s)

Identifies setting

Describes setting

Analyzes the impact of setting

Identifies problem and solution

Identifies conflict

Describes events

Describes climax

Identifies plot

Identifies theme

Describes historical context

Analyzes for historical context

Describes social context

Describes political context

Identifies bias

Identifies prejudices

Shared Reading

Day Four Targets Continued

Shaded area indicates grade taughtTargetK12345

Visual Language Targets

Font

Illustration

Layout

White space

Text position

Justification

Point size

Borders

Shading

Case

Subscript

Superscript

Paragraphing

Vertical orientation

Horizontal orientation

Landscape

Portrait

Poems for Shared Reading

Grades 3-5

The following section is a listing and collection of poems that are appropriate for use during shared reading in grades three through five. The targets identified in the early pages of the section can be taught using these resources. The copies of the poems enclosed are a part of public domain and can be used without concern for copyright violation. The ones identified as need rights are poems that are copyright protected and need permission from the publisher to be used. District personnel are working to seek permission to use these poems during shared reading, as well. While this process is in progress, it would be permissible for teachers to make ONE copy of the need rights poems this year. Please refer to the enclosed pages from Dr. Gary H. Beckers book, Copyright: A Guide to Information and Resources, Second Edition. This book is available in the Media Centers at each school.

Poems For Third Grade

Update: July 12, 2001

GradePoemSTATUSAuthorLife InfoBook TitlePublisher

3A Beetle Talepublic domainE. Keary1857-88

3A Remarkable Adventure

3A Visit From Mr. Foxpublic domainUnknown***

3An Alley Cat with One Life Leftneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3An Irritating Creatureneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3Artichokesneed rightsPike Johnson Jr.1889-1969

3Benjamin Jones Goes SwimmingAileen FisherA Children's Treasury of VerseZondervan

3Billy Batterneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3Bunny Rabbit's Predicament

3Catherineneed rightsKarla Kuskin1932-New Treasury of Children's PoetryDoubleday & Co.

3Crazy Dreamneed rightsShel Silverstein??

3Eat it All Elaineneed rightsKaye Starbird1916-Piping Down the Valleys WildDelacorte Press

3Father Loses Weightneed rightsX.J. Kennedy1929

3First Thanksgiving of Allneed rightsNancy Byrd Turner1880-?Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

3Fun with Fishingneed rightsEunice Tietjens1844-1944Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

3Good King Wencelastale

3Goody O' Grumpityneed rightsCarol Ryrie Brink1895-1991Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

3I Found a Four Leaf Cloverneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3I Made Something Strange with my Chemistry Setneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3I Sailed on Half a Shipneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3In the Orchardneed rightsJames Stephens1880-1950

3January Jumps Aboutneed rightsGeorge Barker1913-

3Jim Who Ran Away from His Nurseneed rightsHilaire Belloc1870-1953Oxford Book of Story PoemsOxford University Press

3Johnny and his SlingshotRiley Watson

3King Fashionpublic domainE. Keary1857-88

3Lincolnneed rightsNancy Byrd Turner1880-?Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

3Little Joe TunneyRebecca McCann

3Miss Veronica BlairLinda J. Knaus

3Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Murphy's Kidsneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3My Gerbil Seemed Bedraggledneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3My Mother Made a Meatloafneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3Pachycephalosaurusneed rightsRichard ArmourA Dozen DinosaursMcGraw Hill, Inc.

Poems for Third Grade ContinuedGradePoemSTATUSAuthorLife InfoBook TitlePublisher

3Pet Shoppingneed rightsKenn Nesbitt

3Sneaky Sueneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3Snowman's ResolutionAileen Fisher

3Thanksgiving Daypublic domainLydia Maria Child1802-1880

3The Bugs Are Outneed rights

3The Carpenter Ragesneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3The Duck and the Kangaroopublic domainEdward Lear1812-1888

3The Duelpublic domainEugene Field1850-1895

3The Gingerbread Manneed rightsRowena Bennett1896-Sing A Song of PopcornScholastic

3The Lion and the Echoneed rightsBrian PattenOxford Book of Story Poems Oxford University Press

3The Lobster Quadrillepublic domainLewis Carroll1832-1898

3The Lost Dollpublic domainCharles Kingsley1819-1875

3The Mouse and the Cakepublic domainEliza Cook (1849)

3The Nap Takerneed rightsShel Silverstein??

3The Old Wife and the Ghostneed rightsJames ReevesOxford Treasury of Children's PoemsOxford University Press

3The Sad Story of a Little Boy That CriedAnonymous

3The Swapping Songas told to Richard Chase

3The Turkey Shot Out of the Ovenneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3The Two RatsUnknown

3The Ups and Downs of the Elevator CarCaroline D. Emerson

3There Was An Old Ladyneed rightsDennis Lee1939-

3There's a New Cook in the Cafeterianeed rights

3Trickingneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3Turn Off the TV!need rightsBruce Lansky

3Twenty Froggiesneed rightsGeorge Cooper1838-1927

3When Daddy Sat on the Tomatoesneed rightsJack Prelutsky

3Who Pulled the Plug in my Ant Farm?need rights

3Wyken, Blynken, and Nodpublic domainEugene Field

Poems For Fourth Grade


4A Feller I Knowneed rightsMary Austin1868-1934Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

4A Goat Wandered into the Junkyardneed rightsJack Prelutsky

4About Jimmy Jamesneed rights

4An Extraterrestrial Alienneed rightsJack Prelutsky

4Blubbering at the MoviesGreta B. Lipson

4Bulgy Bunneneed rightsJack Prelutsky

4Casey Jonesneed rightsUnknownAmerican Folk PoetryLittle, Brown & Co.

4Dainty Dottie Deeneed rightsJack Prelutsky

4Dauntless Dimbleneed rights

4Dorlans Home-Walkneed rightsArthur Guiterman1871-1943

4Eldoradopublic domainEdgar Allan Poe1809-1849

4Floradora Doeneed rights

4Garbage Delightneed rightsDennis Lee1939-

4Georgeneed rightsHilaire Belloc1870-1953Fireside Book of Humorous PoetrySimon Shuster

4Golden Cobwebs

4Hunter Trialsneed rightsJohn Betjeman1906-1984Everymans Book of Evergreen VerseJ.M. Dent & sons

4Jack and the Beanstalkneed rightsRoald Dahl

4Jack Frost

4Jesse James

4Leetla Giorgio Washeentonneed rightsThomas Augustine Daly1871-1948Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

4Little Orphant Anniepublic domainJames Whitcomb Riley1849-1916

4Matildaneed rightsHilaire Belloc1870-1953Everymans Book of Evergreen VerseJ.M. Dent & sons

4Millers Endneed rightsCharles Causley1917-

4Mungle and the Munn

4My Brother Bertneed rightsTed Hughes1930-

4On Ageingneed rightsMaya Angelou1928-Aint I A Woman!Peter Bedrick Books

4On the Death of a Mad Dogpublic domainOliver Goldsmith1730-1774

4One, Two, Threepublic domainHenry Cuyler Bunner1855-1896

4Oops!need rightsBruce Lansky

4Somebodys Motherneed rightsMary Dow Brine1816-1913

4The Beautiful, Fabulous Phyllis McFeeRiley Watson

4The Childrens Hourpublic domainHenry Wadsworth Longfellow1809-1882

Poems for Fourth Grade Continued

GradePoemSTATUSAuthorLife InfoBookPublisher

4The Day Mother Came to School in her Nightgownneed rightsDakos

4The Dumb Soliderpublic domainRobert Louis Stevenson1850-1894

4The Fox and the Crowneed rightsDaryl Hine1936New Oxford Book of Canadian VerseOxford University Press

4The Giveawayneed rightsPhyllis McGinley1905-1978Poems to Read AloudW.W. Norton & Co.

4The New Ducklingneed rightsAlfred Noyes1880-1958The Book of a Thousand PoemsPeter Bedrick Books

4The Pigneed rightsRoald Dahl

4The Sea Wolfneed rightsViolet McDougalno datesFavorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

4The Snopp on the Sidewalkneed rightsJack Prelutsky

4The Twinspublic domainHenry S. Leigh1837-1883

4The Witch of Willowby Woodneed rightsRowena Bennett1896-Sing A Song of PopcornScholastic

4Vacation Frustrationneed rightsKenn Nesbitt

4When A Giant Has a Haircutneed rightsKenn Nesbitt

4When Tilli Ate the Chilineed rightsJack Prelutsky

4Wilbur Wright and Orville WrightRosemary&Stephen Vincent Benet

4You Are Old, Father Williampublic domainLewis Carroll1832-1898

Poems for Fifth Grade


5 Turtle and Flamingopublic domainJames Thomas Fields1817-1881

5A Martian Sends a Postcard Homeneed rightsCraig Raine1944-Norton Anthology of English Literature IIW.W. Norton & Co.

5A Visit From St. Nickpublic domainClement Clark Moore1779-1863

5Adventures of Isabelneed rightsOgden Nash1902-1971Modern American PoetryHarcourt Brace & World

5An Old Indian Lumber Camp Song

5Annar Marrar's Christmas Shopping

5At the Theaterneed rightsRachel Field1894-1942Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

5Barbara Fritchiepublic domainJohn Greenleaf Whittier1807-1892

5Casey at the Batneed rightsErnest Lawrence Thayerno datesAmerican In PoetryHarry N. Adams

5Christopher Columbusneed rightsStephen Vincent Benet1898-1943

5Clara BartonRosemary&Stephen Vincent Benet

5Clementineneed rightsPercy Montroseno datesAnthology of American PoetryAvenel Books

5Colonel Fazackerleyneed rightsCharles Causley1917-

5Columbus Dayneed rightsJimmie Durham1940-HATNAP

5Da Boy From Romeneed rightsThomas Augustine Daly1871-1948

5Daniel Booneneed rightsArthur Guiterman1871-1943Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

5Elizabeth BlackwellEve Mirriam

5Erie Canalpublic domainWilliams Allen1803-1879

5Four Vain and Ancient Tortoisesneed rightsJack Prelutsky

5Happy Birthday, Dear DragonUnknown

5Harriet TubmanEloise Greenfield1929 -

5Jabberwockypublic domainLewis Carroll1832-1898

5James Buchanan

5Jest 'Fore Christmaspublic domainEugene Field1850-1895

5John Henryneed rightsUnknownAMFR

5Legendneed rightsJudith Wright1915-New Oxford Book of Australian VerseOxford University Press

5Macavity: The Mystery Catneed rightsT.S. Eliot1888-1965Cat Will Rhyme with Hat: A Book of PoemsCharles Scribner's Sons

5Molly Pitcherpublic domainKate Brownlee Sherwood1841-1914

5My Brother Built a Robotneed rightsJack Prelutsky

5O Captain! My Captain!public domainWalt Whitman

5Paul Revere's Ridepublic domainHenry Wadsworth Longfellow

5Revolutionary Tea

5Seein' Thingspublic domainEugene Field1850-1895

5Tartaryneed rightsWalter de la Mare1873-1956Oxford Book of Children's VerseOxford University Press

Poems for Fifth Grade ContinuedGradePoemSTATUSAuthorLife InfoBook TitlePublisher

5The Ant Eaterpublic domainEdward Lear

5The Brookpublic domainAlfred Lord Tennyson1809-1892

5The Cow Town Balletneed rightsKenn Nesbitt

5The Dinkey Birdpublic domainEugene Field1850-1895

5The Dorchester Giantpublic domainOliver Wendell Holmes1809-1894

5The Embarrassing Episode of Little Miss Muffetpublic domainGuy Wetmore Carryl1893-1904****check this

5The Frogs Who Wanted A KingJoseph Lauren

5The Inchcape Rockpublic domainRobert Southey1774-1843

5The Little Black Eyed Rebelpublic domainWill Carleton1845-1912

5The New Vestmentspublic domainEdward Lear1812-1888

5The Night Mailneed rightsW.H. Auden1907-1973CHTR

5The Oregon Trail: 1843need rightsArthur Guiterman1871-1943Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

5The Perfect Petsneed rightsJack Prelutsky

5The Quangle Wangle's Hatpublic domainEdward Lear1812-1888

5The Spider and the Flypublic domainMary Howitt1799-1888

5The Star Spangled Bannerpublic domainFrancis Scott Key

5The Tale of Custard the Dragonneed rightsOgden Nash1902-1971Favorite Poems Old & NewDoubleday & Co.

5The Walrus and the Carpenterpublic domainLewis Carroll1832-1898

5When I Grow Upneed rightsWilliam Wise1923 -

Wynken, Blynken and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night

Sailed off in a wooden shoe

Sailed on a river of crystal light,

Into a sea of dew.

Where are you going, and what do you wish?

The old moon asked the three.

We have come to fish for the herring fish

That live in this beautiful sea;

Nets of silver and gold have we!

Said Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,

As they rocked in the wooden shoe,

And the wind that sped them all night long

Ruffled the waves of dew.

The little stars were the herring fish

That lived in that beautiful sea---

Now cast your nets wherever you wish---

Never afeared are we;

So cried the stars to the fishermen three:

Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw

To the stars in the twinkling foam---

Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,

Bringing the fishermen home;

T/was all so pretty a sail it seemed

As if it could not be,

And some folks thought twas a dream theyd dreamed

Of sailing that beautiful sea

But I shall name you the fishermen three:

Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,

And Nod is a little head,

And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies

Is a wee ones trundle-bed.

So shut your eyes while mother sings

Of wonderful sights that be,

And you shall see the beautiful things

As you rock in the misty sea,

Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:

Wynbken,

Blynken

And Nod.

THE LOBSTER QUADRILLELewis CarrollWill you walk a little faster? said a whiting to a snail,

Theres a porpoise close behind us, and hes treading on my tail.

See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles advance!

They are waiting on the shinglewill you come and join the dance?

Will you, wont you, will you wont you,

Will you join the dance?

Will you, wont you, will you, wont you,

Wont you join the dance?

You can really have no notion how delightful it will be

When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters out to sea!

But the snail replied, Too far, too far! and gave a look askance

Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not,

Would not join the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not,

Could not join the dance.

What matters it how far we go? his scaly friend replied.

There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.

The further off from England the near is to France

Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.

A BEETLE TALE

E. Keary

O COME, the elder beetle said,

For every one is safe in bed,

Tis time to seek our nightly bread.

Then forth he crept with stealthy tread.

The clock ticked onyou would not deem

Aught could have broke that peace supreme,

The children slept, they scarce did dream,

The young moon cast a fitful gleam.

From crack and cranny beetles crept;

In black and polished coats they stept

Upon that floor, which Jane had swept.

Ah me! How fast those children slept!

The elder beetle scratched his head

And thought a momentthen he said:

Follow me, children, and be fed.

Forth to the larder door he led.

The Cook turned in her sleeptoo late!

She should have covered with a plate

The dish that none shall save from fate;

She dreams the clock is striking eight!

But ah! Not yet the night has run,

Not yet appears the morning sun

Cooks handiwork is soon undone,

The tarts are eaten every one!

KING FASHION

THERE was a King of England once,

I shall not tell his name,

But what this King of England thought,

The people thought the same.

All that he said they listened to,

And called it wondrous wise;

On everything in earth or heaven

They looked with courtiers eyes.

To every one of his commands

They said, So let it be.

There never yet a monarch was

More absolute than he.

One day within his presence-hall

Two men stood forth together

One dressed in velvet and in gold,

The other clad in leather.

The King said to his people,

Remember what youre told,

You may kick the man in leather,

You must kiss the man in gold.

Whilst on a country walk one day,

The King espied a frog.

Why, here, said he, Ive found a most

Peculiar kind of dog!

He shall have meat for breakfast,

Of milk three saucers full,

A golden collar for his neck,

And a bed of cotton-wool.

Then every courtier kept a frog

And called it a peculiar dog!

E.K.THE LOST DOLLI once had a sweet little doll, dears,

The prettiest doll in the world;

Her cheeks were so red and white,

Dears,

And her fair was so charmingly

Curled.

But I lost my poor little doll, dears,

As I played on the heath one day

And I cried for her more than a week,

Dears,

But I never could find where she lay.

I found my poor little doll, dears,

As I played on the heath one day;

Folks say she is terribly changed,

Dears,

For her paint is all washed away,

And her arms trodden off by the

Cows, dears,

And her hair not the least bit curled;

Yet for old sakes sake, she is still,

Dears,

The prettiest doll in the world.Charles Kinglsey

THANKSGIVING DAY

Over the river and through the wood

To grandfathers house we go;

The horse knows the way

To carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifted snow.


Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes

And bites the nose,

As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring,

Ting-a-ling-ding!

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!


Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground,

Like a hunting-hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the wood,

And straight through the barnyard gate.

We see to go

Extremely slow,---

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood---

Now grandmothers cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie!Lydia Maria Child

A VISIT FROM MR. FOX

The fox set out in hungry plight,

And begged the moon to give him light,

For hed many a mile to travel that night,

Before he could reach his den, Oh!

First he came to a farmers yard,

Where the ducks and geese declared it was hard

That their nerves should be shaken, and their rest be marred

By a visit from Mr. Fox, Oh!

He seized the gray goose by the sleeve,

Says he, Madame Gray Goose, by your leave,

Ill carry you off without reprieve,

And take you away to my den, Oh!

He seized the gray duck by the neck,

And flung her over across his back,

While the old duck cried out, Quack, quack, quack!

With her legs dangling down behind, Oh!

Then old Mrs. Flipper Flapper jumped out of her bed,

And out of the window she popped her head,

Crying, John, John, John, the gray goose is gone,

And the fox is off to his den, Oh!

So the fox he hurried home to his den,

To his dear little foxes eight, nine ten.

Were in luck, heres a big fat duck

With her legs dangling down behind, Oh!

The fox sat down with his hungry wife

And they made a good meal without fork or knife.

They never had a better time in all their life,

And the little ones picked the bones, Oh!

Author Unknown

THE MOUSE AND THE CAKE

A mouse found a beautiful piece of plum cake,

The richest and sweetest that mortal could make;

Twas heavy with citron and fragrant with spice,

And covered with sugar all sparkling as ice.

My stars! cried the mouse, while his eye beamed with glee,

Heres a treasure Ive found: what a feast it will be;

But, hark! Theres a noise, tis my brothers at play;

So Ill hide with the cake, lest they wander this way.

Not a bit shall they have, for I know I can eat

Every morsel myself, and Ill have such a treat.

So off went the mouse as he held the cake fast;

While his hungry young brothers went scampering past.

He nibbled, and nibbled, and panted, but still

He kept gulping it down till he made himself ill;

Yet he swallowed it all, and tis easy to guess,

He was soon so unwell that he groaned with distress.

His family heard him, and as he grew worse,

They sent for the doctor, who made him rehearse

How hed eaten the cake to the very last crumb,

Without giving his playmates and relatives some.

Ah me! cried the doctor, advice is too late;

You must die before long, so prepare for your fate.

If you had but divided the cake with your brothers,

Twould have done you no harm, and been good for the others.

Had you shared it, the treat had been wholesome enough;

But eaten by one, it was dangerous stuff;

So prepare for the worst--- and the word had scarce fled,

When the doctor turned round, the patient was dear.

Now all little people the lesson may take,

And some large ones may learn from the mouse and the cake;

Not to be over-selfish with what we may gain,

Or the best of our pleasures may turn into pain.ELIZA COOK

Eliza Cooks Journal, 1849

ONE, TWO, THREE!

It was an old, old, old lady,

And a boy that was half-past three;

And the way that they played together

Was beautiful to see.

She couldnt go romping and jumping,

And the boy no more could he;

For he was a thin little fellow,

With a thin little twisted knee.

They sat in the yellow sunlight,

Out under the maple tree;

And the game they played Ill tell you,

Just as it was told to me.

It was hide-andgo-seek they were playing,

Though youd never have known it to be---

With an old, old, old, old lady,

And a boy with a twisted knee.

The boy would bend his face down

On his little sound right knee,

And he guessed where she was hiding

In guesses One, Two, Three.

You are in the china closet!

He would laugh and cry with glee---

It wasnt the china closet,

But he still had Two and Three.

You are up in Papas big bedroom,

In the chest with the queer old key!

And she said: You are warm and warmer

But youre not quite right, said she.

It cant be the little cupboard

Where Mammas things used to be---

So it must be in the clothespress, Granma!

And he found her with his Three.

Then she covered her face with her fingers,

That were wrinkled and white and wee,

And she guessed where the boy was hiding,

With a One and a Two and a Three.

And they never had stirred from their places

Right under the maple tree---

This old, old, old, old lady,

And the boy with the lame little knee---

This dear, dear, dear old lady,

And the boy who was half-past three.

Henry Cuyler Bunner

Little Orphant Annie

Little Orphant Annies come to our house to stay,

An wash the cups and saucers up, an brush the crumbs away,

An shoo the chickens off the proch, an dust the hearth, an

Sweep,

An make the fire, an bake the bread, an earn her board-ankeep

An all us other children, when the supper things is done,

We set around the kitchen fire an has the mostest fun

A listnin to the witch tales at Annie tells about,

An the Gobble-uns at gits you

Ef you

Dont

Watch

Out!

Onct they was a little boy wouldnt say his prayers, ---

So when he went to bed at night, away upstairs,

His Mammy heerd him holler, an his Daddy heerd him bawl,

An when they turnt thekivvers down, he wasnt there at all!

An they seeked him in the rafter room, an cubbyhole, an press

An; seeked him up the chimbly flue, an everwheres, I guess;

But all they ever found was thist his pants an roundabout:---

An; the Gobble-uns ll git you

Ef you

Dont

Watch

Out!

An one time a little girl ud allus laugh an grin,

An make fun of everone, an all her blood an kin;

An onct, when they was company, an ole folks was there,

She mocked em, an said she didnt care!

An thist as she kicked her heels, an turnt to run an hide,

They was two great big Black Things a-standin by her side,

An they snatched her through the ceilin fore she knowed what

Shes about!

An the Gobble-uns ll git you

Ef you

Dont

Watch

Out!

Little Orpant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,

An the lamp-wick sputters, an the wind goes woo-oo!An you hear the crickets quit, an the moon is gray,

An the lightnin bugs in dew is all squenched away, ---

You better mind yer parents, and yer techers fond an dear,

An churish them at loves you, an dry the orphants tear,

An help the pore an needy ones at clusters all about,

Or the Gobble-uns ll git you

Ef you

Dont

Watch

Out!

JAMES WHITCOME RILEY

THE DUMB SOLDIER

When the grass was closely mown,

Walking on the lawn alone,

In the turf a hole I found,

And hid a soldier underground.

Spring and daisies came apace;

Grasses hide my hiding space;

Grasses run like a green sea

Oer the lawn up to my knee.

Under grass alone he lies,

Looking up with leaden eyes,

Scarlet coat and pointed gun,

To the stars and to the sun.

When the grass is ripe like grain,

When the scythe is stoned again,

When the lawn is shaven clear,

They my hole shall reappear.

I shall find him, never fear,

I shall find my grenadier;

But for all thats gone and come,

I shall find my soldier dumb.

He has lived, a little thing,

In the grassy woods of spring;

Done, if he could tell me true,

Just as I should like to do.

He has seen the starry hours

And the springing of the flowers;

And the fairy things that pass

In the forests of the grass.

In the silence he has heard

Talking bee and ladybird,

And the butterfly has flown

Oer him as he lay alone.

Not a word will he disclose,

Not a word of all he knows.

I must lay him on the shelf,

And make up the tale myself.ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM

You are old, father William, the young man said,

And your hair has become very white;

And yet you incessantly stand on your head---

Do you think, at your age, it is right?

In my youth, father William replied to his son,

I feared it would injure the brain;

But now that Im perfectly sure I have none,

Why, I do it again and again.You are old, said the youth, as I mentioned before,

And have grown most uncommonly fat;

Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door---

Pray, what is the reason of that?

In my youth, said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,

I kept all my limbs very supple

By the use of this ointment one shilling the box ---

Allow me to sell you a couple.

You are old, said the youth, and your jaws are too weak

For anything tougher than suet;

Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak---

Pray, how did you manage to do it?

In my youth, said his father, I took to the law,

And argued each case with my wife;

And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,

Has lasted the rest of my life.

You are old, said the youth; one would hardly suppose

That your eye was as steady as ever;

Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose ---

What made you so awfully clever?

I have answered three questions, and that is enough,

Said his father; Dont give yourself airs!

Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?

Be off, or Ill kick you down stairs!LEWIS CARROLL

THE CHILDRENS HOUR

Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the days occupations,

That is known as the Childrens Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me,

The patter of little feet,

The sound of a door that is opened,

And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,

Descending the broad hall stair,

Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,

And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:

Yet I know by their merry eyes

They are plotting and planning together

To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,

A sudden raid from the hall!

By three doors left unguarded

They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret

Oer the arms and back of my chair;

If I try to escape, they surround me;

They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,

Their arms about me entwine,

Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen

In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you thin, O blue-eyed banditti,

Because you have scaled the wall,

Such an old mustache as I am

Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,

And will not let you depart,

But put you down into the dungeon

In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,

Yes, forever and a day,

Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,

And moulder in dust away!

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

ON THE DEATH OF A MAD DOGGood people all, of every sort,

Give ear unto my song;

And if you find it wondrous short,

It cannot hold you long.

In Islington there was a man,

Of whom the world might say,

That still a godly race he ran,

Wheneer he went to pray.

A kind and gentle heart he had,

To comfort friends and foes;

The naked every day he clad,

When he put on his clothes.

And in that town a dog was found,

As many dogs there be,

Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,

And curs of low degree.

This dog and man at first were friends;

But when a pique began,

The dog, to gain his private ends,

Went mad, and bit the man.

Around from all the neighbouring streets

The wondering neighbours ran,

And swore the dog had lost his wits,

To bite so good a man.

The would it seemed both sore and sad

To every Christian eye;

And while they swore the dog was mad,

They swore the man would die.

But soon a wonder came to light,

That showed the rogues they lied;

The man recovered of the bit,

The dog it was that died.OLIVER GOLDSMITH

The Twins

In form and feature, face and limb,

I grew so like my brother,

That folks got taking me for him,

And each for one another.

It puzzled all our kith and kin,

It reached an awful pitch;

For one of us was born a twin,

Yet not a soul knew which.

One day (to make the matter worse),

Before our names were fixed,

As we were being washed by nurse

We got completely mixed;

And thus, you see, by Fates decree

(Or rather nurses whim),

My brother John got christened me,And I got christened him.This fatal likeness even dogged

My footsteps when at school,

And I was always getting flogged

For John turned out a fool.

I put this question hopelessly

To everyone I knew---

What would you do, if you were me,

To prove that you were you?Our close resemblance turned the tide

Of my domestic life;

For somehow my intended bride

Became my bothers wife.

In short, year after year the same

Absurd mistake went on;

And when I died---the neighbors came

And buried brother John!Henry S. LeighELDORADO

Gaily bedight,

A gallant knight,

In sunshine and in shadow,

Had journeyed long,

Singing a song,

In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old---

This knight so bold---

And oer his heart a shadow

Fell as he found

No spot of ground

That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength

Failed him at length,

He met a pilgrim shadow---

Shadow, said he,

Where can it be---

This land of Eldorado?

Over the Mountains

Of the Moon,

Down in the Valley of the Shadow,

Ride, boldly ride,

The shade replied,

If you seek for Eldorado.

EDGAR ALLEN POE

THE DINKEY BIRD

EUGENE FIELD

In an ocean, way out yonder,

(as all sapient people know)

Is the land of Wonder-Wander,

Whither children love to go;

Its their playing, romping, swinging,

That give great joy to me

While the Dinkey-Bird goes singing

In the amfalula tree!

There the gum-drops grow like cherries,

And taffys thick as peas

Caramels you pick like berries

When, and where, and how you please;

Big red sugar-plums are clinging

To the cliffs beside that sea

Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing


So when children shout and scamper

And make merry all the day,

When theres naught to put a damper

To the ardor of their play;

When I hear their laughter ringing,

Then Im sure as sure can be

That the Dinkey-Bird is singing


For the Dinkey-Birds bravuras

And staccatos are so sweet

His roulades, appoggiaturas,

And robustos so complete,

That the youth of every nation

Be they near or far away

Have especial delectation

In that gladsome roundelay.

Their eyes grow bright and brighter,

Their lungs begin to crow,

Their hearts get light and lighter,

And their cheeks are all aglow;

For an echo cometh bringing

The news to all and me,

That the Dinkey-Bird is singing

In the amfalula tree.

Im sure you like to go there

To see your feathered friend

And so many goodies grow there

You would like to comprehend!

Speed, little drams, your winging

To that land across the sea

Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing


BARBARA FRIETCHIE

John Greenleaf Whittier

Up from the meadows rich with corn,

Clear in the cool September morn,

The clustered spires of Frederick stand

Green-walled by the hills of Maryland,

Round about them orchards sweep,

Apple and peach tree fruited deep,

Fair as the garden of the Lord

To the eyes of the famished rebel horde,

On that pleasant morn of the early fall

When Lee marched over the mountain-wall

Over the mountains winding down,

Horse and foot, into Frederick town.

Forty flags with their silver stars,

Forty flags with their crimson bars,

Flapped in the morning wind; the sun

Of noon looked down and saw not one.

Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then,

Bowed with her fourscore years and ten;

Bravest of all in Frederick town,

She took up the flag the men hauled down;

In her attic window the staff she set,

To show that one heart was loyal yet.

Up the street came the rebel tread,

Stonewall Jackson riding ahead.

Under his slouched hat left and rightHe glanced; the old flag met his sight.

Halt! the dust-brown ranks stood fast.

Fire! out blazed the rifle-blast.

It shivered the window, pane and sash

It rent the banner with seam and gash.

Quick, as it fell, from the broken staff

Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf.She leaned far out on the window-sill,

And shook it forth with a royal will.

Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,

But spare your countrys flag, she said.

A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,

Over the face of the leader came;

The nobler nature within him stirred

To life at that womans deed and word;

Who touches a hair of yon gray head

Dies like a dog! March on! he said.All day long through Frederick street

Sounded the tread of marching feet:

All day long that free flag tossed

Over the heads of the rebel host.

Ever its torn folds rose and fell

On the loyal winds that loved it well;

And through the hill-gaps sunset light

Shone over it with a warm good-night

Barbara Frietchies work is oer,And the Rebel rides on his raids no more.

Honor to her! And let a tear

Fall, for her sake, on Stonewalls bier.

Over Barbara Frietchies grave,

Flag of Freedom and Union, Wave!

Peace and order and beauty draw

Round thy symbol of light and law;

And ever the stars above look down

On thy stars below in Frederick town!.

Paul Reveres Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Listen my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march

By land or sea from the town tonight,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch

Of the North Church tower as a signal light

One, if by land, and two, if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,

Just as the moon rose over the bay,

Where swinging wide at her moorings lay

The Somerset, British man-of-war;

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon like a prison bar,

And a huge black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,

Wanders and watches, with eager ears,

Till in the silence around him he hears

The muster of men at the barrack door,

The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,

And the measured tread of the grenadiers,

Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,

By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,To the belfry-chamber overhead,

And startled the pigeons from their perch

On the somber rafters, that round him made

Masses and moving shapes of shade

By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,

To the highest window in the wall,

Where he paused to listen and look down

A moment on the roofs of the town

And the moonlight flowing over all.Beneath in the churchyard, lay the dead,

In their night-encampment on the hill,

Wrapped in silence so deep and still

That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,

The watchful night-wind, as it went

Creeping along from tent to tent,

And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"

A moment only he feels the spell

Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread

Of the lonely belfry and the dead;

For suddenly all his thoughts are bent

On a shadowy something far away,

Where the river widens to meet the bay

A line of black that bends and floats

On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.

Now he patted his horse's side,

Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,

Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,

And turned and tightened his saddle girth;But mostly he watched with eager search

The belfry tower of the Old North Church,

As it rose above the graves on the hill,

Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfry burns.

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark

Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,

The fate of a nation was riding that night;

And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,

Kindled the land into flame with its heat.

He has left the village and mounted the steep,

And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,

Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;

And under the alders that skirt its edge,

Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,

Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.It was twelve by the village clock,

When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.

He heard the crowing of the cock,

And the barking of the farmer's dog,

And felt the damp of the river fog,

That rises after the sun goes down.

It was one by the village clock,

When he galloped into Lexington.

He saw the gilded weathercock

Swim in the moonlight as he passed,

And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,

Gaze at him with a spectral glare,

As if they already stood aghast

At the bloody work they would look upon.It was two by the village clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,

And the twitter of birds among the trees,

And felt the breath of the morning breeze

Blowing over the meadow brown.

And one was safe and asleep in his bed

Who at the bridge would be first to fall,

Who that day would be lying dead,

Pierced by a British musket-ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British Regulars fired and fled

How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard wall,

Chasing the redcoats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge again

Under the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm

To every Middlesex village and farm

A cry of defiance, and not of fear,

A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,

And a word that shall echo for evermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,Through all our history, to the last,

In the hour of darkness and peril and need,

The people will waken and listen to hear

The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,

And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

THE EMBARRASSING EPISODE OF LITTLE MISS MUFFET

Guy Wetmore Carryl

Little Miss Muffett discovered a tuffet,

(Which never occurred to the rest of us)

And, as twas a June day, and just about noonday,

She wanted to eatlike the best of us:

Her diet was whey, and I hasten to say

It is wholesome and people grow fat on it.

The spot being lonely, the lady not only

Discovered the tuffet, but sat on it.

A rivulet gabbled beside her and babbled,

As rivulets always are thought to do,

And dragon flies sported around and cavorted,

As poets say dragon flies ought to do;

When, glancing aside for a moment, she spied

A horrible sight that brought fear to her,

A hideous spider was sitting beside her,

And most unavoidably near to her!

Albeit unsightly, this creature politely

Said: Madam, I earnestly vow to you,

Im penitent that I did not bring my hat. I

Should otherwise certainly bow to you.

Though anxious to please, he was so ill at ease

That he lost all his sense of propriety,

And grew to inept that he clumsily stept

In her platewhich is barred in society.

This curious error completed her terror;

She shuddered, and growing much paler, not

Only left tuffet, but dealt him a buffet

Which doubled him up in a sailor knot.

It should be explained that at this he was pained:

He cried: I have vexed you, no doubt of it!

Your fists like a truncheon. Youre still in my luncheon,

Was all that she answered. Get out of it!

And the Moral is this: Be it madam or miss

To whom you have something to say,

You are only absurd when you get in the curd

But youre rude when you get in the whey!

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

By Francis Scott Key

Oh, say can you see by the dawns early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,

Oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foes haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, oer the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the mornings first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave

Oer the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battles confusion,

A home and a country should leave us no more!

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave


Oh! Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the wars desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heavn rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: In God is our trust.

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave


THE INCHCAPE ROCK

No stir in the air, no stir in the sea

The ship was as still as she could be;

Her sails from heaven received no motion;

Her keel was steady in the ocean.

Without either sign or sound of their shock,

The waves flowed over the Inchcape rock;

So little they rose, so little they fell,

They did not move the Inchcape bell.

The holy Abbot of Aberbrothok

Had placed that bell on the Inchcape rock;

On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung

And over the waves it warning rung.

When the rock was hid by the surges swell,

The mariners heard the warning bell;

And then they knew the perilous rock;

And blessed the Abbot of Aberbrothok.

The sun in heaven was shining gay

All things were joyful on that day;

The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled around,

And there way joyance in their sound.

The buoy of the Inchcape bell was seen,

A darker speck on the ocean green;

Sir Ralph, the rover, walked his deck,

And he fixed his eyes on the darker speck.

His eye was on the bell and float;

Quoth he, My men, put out the boat;

And row me to the Inchcape rock,

And Ill plague the priest of Aberbrothok.

The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,

And to the Inchcape rock they go;

Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,

And cut the warning bell from the float.

Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound;

The bubbles rose, and burst around.

Quoth Sir Ralph,

The next who comes to the rock

Will not bless the Abbot of Aberbrothik.

Sir Ralph, the rover, sailed away

He scoured the seas for many aday;

And now, grown rich with plundered store,

He steers his course to Scotlands shore.

So thick a haze oerspreads the sky,

They cannot see the sun on high;

The wind hath blown a gale all day;

At evening it hath died away.

On the deck the rover takes his stand;

So dark it is they see no land.

Quoth Sir Ralph, It will be lighter soon,

For there is the dawn of the rising moon.

Canst hear, said one, the breakers roar?

For yonder, methinks, should be the shore.

Now where we are I cannot tell,

But I wish we could hear the Inchcape bell.

They hear no sound; the swell is strong;

Though the wind hath fallen,

They drift along:

Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock

O Christ! It is the Inchcape rock!

Sir Ralph, the rover, tore his hair;

He cursed himself in his despair.

The waves rush in on every side;

The ship is sinking beneath the tide.

But ever in his dying fear,

One dreadful sound he seemed to h ear

A sound as if with the Inchcape bell

The Devil below was ringing his knell.

ROBERT SOUTHEY

THE ERIE CANAL

We were forty miles from Albany,

Forget it, I never shall!

What a terrible storm we had one night

On the Erie Canal.

Refrain:

Oh, The Erie was rising,

And gin was getting low,

And I scarcely think well get a drink

Till we get to Buffalo.

The winds began to whistle,

And the waves began to roll,

And we had to reel our royals

On the raging canal.

Refrain:We were loaded down with barley,

We were chuck up full of rye,

And the captain, he looked at me

With his gol-durn wicked eye.

Refrain:Two miles out from Syracuse

The vessel struck a shoal,

And we like to all been foundered

On a chunk o Lackawanna coal.

Refrain:We hollered to the captain

On the towpath, treadin dirt;

He jumped on board and stopped the leak

With his old red flannel shirt.

Refrain:When we get to Syracuse

The off-mule he was dead,

The nigh mule got blind staggers,

And we cracked him on the head.

Refrain:The cook she was a grand ol girl,

She had a ragged dress.

We hoisted her upon a pole

As a signal of distress

Refrain:The captain, he got married,

The cook, she went to jail;

And Im the only son-of-a-gun

Thats left to tell the tail.

Refrain:

MOLLY PITCHER

Kate Brownlee Sherwood

Twas hurry and scurry at Monmouth town,

For Lee was beating a wild retreat;

The British were riding the Yankees down,

And panic was pressing on flying fee.

Galloping down like a hurricane

Washington rode with his sword swung high

Mighty as he of the Trojan plain

Fired by a courage from the sky.

Halt, and stand to your guns! he cried.

And a bombardier made swift reply.

Wheeling his cannon into the tide,

He fell neath the shot of a foeman nigh.

Molly Pitcher sprang to his side,

Fired as she saw her husband do.

Telling the king in his stubborn pride

Women like men to their homes are true.

Washington rode from the bloody fray

Up to the gun that a woman manned.

Molly Pitcher, you saved the day,

He said, as he gave her a heros hand.

He named her sergeant with manly praise,

While her war-brown face was wet with tears

A woman has ever a womans ways,

And the army was wild with cheers.THE DORCHESTER GIANT

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

There was a giant in times of old,

A mighty one was he;

He had a wife, but she was a scold,

So he kept her shut in his mammoth fold;

And he had children three.

It happened to be an election day,

And the giants were choosing a king;

The people were not democrats then,

They did not talk of the rights of men,

And all that sort of thing.

Then the giant took his children three,

And fastened them in the pen;

The children roared; quoth the giant, Be still!

And Dorchester Heights and Milton Hill

Rolled back the sound again.

Then he brought them a pudding stuffed with plums,

As big as the State House dome;

Quoth he, Theres something for you to eat;

So stop your mouths with you lection treat,

And wait till your dad comes home.

So the giant pulled him a chestnut stout,

And whittled the boughs away;

The boys and their mother set up a shout,

Said he, Youre in, and you cant get out,

Bellow as loud as you may.

Off he went, and he growled a tune

As he strode the fields along;

Tis said a buffalo fainted away,

And fell as cold as a lump of clay,

When he heard the giants song.

But whether the storys true or not,

It isnt for me to show;

Theres many a thing thats twice as queer

In somebodys lectures that we hear,

And those are true you know.

What are those lone ones doing now,

The wilfe and the children sad?

Oh, they are in a terrible rout,

Screaming, and throwing their pudding about,

Acting as they were mad.

They flung it over to Roxbury hills,

They flung it over the plain,

And all over Milton and Dorchester too

Great lumps of pudding the giants threw;

They tumbled as thick as rain.

Giant and mammoth have passed away,

For ages have floated by;

The suet is hard as a marrowbone,

And every plum is turned to stone,

But there the puddings lie.

And if, some pleasant afternoon,

Youll ask me out to ride,

The whole of the story I will tell,

And you shall see where the puddings fell,

And pay for the punch beside.

The Brookby ALFRED LORD TENNYSONI come from haunts of coot and hern,

I make a sudden sally,

And sparkle out among the fern,

To bicker down a valley.

By thirty hills I hurry down,

Or slip between the ridges,

By twenty thorps, a little town,

And half a hundred bridges.

I chatter over stony ways

In little sharps and trebles,

I bubble into eddying bays,

I babble on the pebbles.

With many a curve my banks I fret

By many a field and fallow,

And many a fairy foreland set

With willow-weed and mallow.

I chatter, chatter, as I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.

I wind about and in and out,

With here a blossom sailing,

And here and there a lusty trout,

And here and there a grayling.

And here and there a foamy flake

Upon me, as I travel

With many a silvery waterbreak

Above the golden gravel.

I steal by lawns and grassy plots,

I slide by hazel covers;

I move the sweet forget-me-nots

That grow for happy lovers.

I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,

Among my skimming swallows;

I make the netted sunbeam dance

Against my sandy shallows.

I murmur under moon and stars

In brambly wildernesses;

I linger by my singly bars;

I loiter round my cresses;

And out again I curve and flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.

JEST FORE CHRISTMASEugene Field

Father calls me William, sister calls me Will,

Mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill!

Mightly glad I aint a girlruther be a boy,

Without them sashes, curls, an things thats worn by Fauntleroy!

Love to chawnk green apples an go swimmin in the lake

Hate to take the castor-ile they give for belly-ache!

Most all the time, the whole year round, there aint no flies on me,

But jest fore Christmas Im as good as I kin be!

Got a yeller dog named Sport, sic him on the cat;

First thing she knows she doesnt know where she is at!

Got a clipper sled, an when us kids goes out to slide,

Long comes the grocery cart, an we all hoot a ride!

But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an cross,

He reaches at us with his whip, an larrups up his hoss,

An then I laff an hollaer, Oh, ye never teched me!But jest fore Christmas Im as good as I kin be!

Granma says she hopes that when I get to be a man,

Ill be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan,

As was et up by the cannibals that lives in Ceylons Isle,

Where every prospeck pleases, an only man is vile!

But Granma she has never been to see a Wild West Show,

Nor read the life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess shed know

That Bufflo Bill an cowboys is good enough for me!

Excep jest fore Christmas, when Im good as I kin be!

And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn-like an still,

His eyes they keep a-sayin: Whats the matter, little Bill?

The old cat sneaks down off her perch an wonders whats become

Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things jum!

But I am so lerlite an tend so earnestly to biz,

That Mother says to Father: How improved our Willie is!

But Father, havin been a boy hisself, suspicions me

When, jest fore Christmas, Im as good as I kin be!

For Christmas, with it lots an lots of candies, cakes, an toys,

Was made, they say, for proper kids, an not for naughty boys;

So wash yer face an bresh yer hair, an mind yer ps and qs,

An dont bust out yer pantaloons, and dont wear out yer shoes;

Say yessum to the ladies, an yessur to the men,

An when theys company, dont pass yer plate for pie again;

But, thinkin of the things yerd like to see upon that tree,

Jest fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY

Mary Howitt

Will you walk into my parlor? said the Spider to the Fly,

Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy;

The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,

And I have many curious things to show when you are there.

Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain;

For who goes up your winding stair can neer come down again.

Im sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;

Will you rest upon my little bed? said the Spider to the Fly.

There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin;

And if you like to rest awhile, Ill snugly tuck you in!

Oh no, no, said the little Fly, for Ive often heard it said

They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!

Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, Dear friend, what can I do

To prove the warm affection Ive always felt for you?

I have within my pantry, good store of all thats nice;

Im sure youre very welcomewill you please take a slice?

Oh no, no, said the little Fly, kind sir, that cannot be,

Ive heard whats in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!

Sweet creature, said the Spider, youre witty and youre wise;

How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!

I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf;

If youll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.

I thank you, gentle sir, she said, for what youre pleased to say,

And bidding you good-morning now, Ill call another day.

The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,

For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again;

So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,

And set his table ready to dine upon the Fly.

Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,

Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;

Your robes are green and purple, theres a crest upon your head;

Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead.

Alas, alas! How very soon this silly little Fly,

Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;

With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,--

Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue;

Thinking only of her crested headpoor foolish thing! At last,

Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den

Within his little parlorbut she neer came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,

To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you neer give heed;

Unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye,

And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.

THE QUANGLE WANGLES HAT

On the top of the Crumpetty Tree

The Quangle Wangle sat,

But his face you could not see,

On account of his Beaver Hat.

For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,

With ribbons and bibbons on every side

And bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,

So that nobody every could see the face

Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.

The Quangle Wangle said

To himself on the Crumpetty Tree, ---

Jam; and jelly; and bread;

Are the best of food for me!

But the longer I live on this Crumpetty Tree

The plainer than ever it seems to me

That very few people come this way

And that life on the whole is far from gay!

Said the Quangle Wangle Quee.

But there came to the Crumpetty Tree,

Mr. And Mrs. Canary;

And they said, -- Did you every see

Any spot so charmingly airy?

May we build a nest on your lovely Hat?

Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!

O please let us come and buld a nest

Of whatever material suits you best,

Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!

And besides, to the Crumpetty Tree

Came the Stork, the Duck, and the Owl;

The Snail, and the Bumble-Bee,

The Frog, and the Fimble Fowl;

(The Fimble Fowl, with a corkscrew leg;)

And all of them said, -- We humbly beg

We may build out homes on your lovely Hat, --

Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!

Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!

And the Golden Grouse came there,

And the Pobble who has no toes, --

And the small Olympian bear, --

And the Dong with a luminous nose.

And the Blue Baboon, who played the Flute, --

And the Orient Calf from the Land of Tute, --

And the Attery Squash, and the Bisky Bat, --

All came and built on the lovely Hat

Of the Quantle Wangle Quee.

And the Quangle Wangle said

To himself on the Crumpetty Tree, --

When all these creatures move

What a wonderful noise therell be!

And at night by the light of the Mulberry Moon

They danced to the Flute of the Blue Baboon,

On the broad green leaves of the Crumpetty Tree,

And all were as happy as happy could be,

With the Quangle Wangle QueeSEEIN THINGS

I aint afeard uv snakes, or toads, or bugs, or worms, or mice,

An things at girls are skeered uv I think are awful nice!

Im pretty brace, I guess; an yet I hate to go to bed,

For when Im tucked up warm an snug an when my prayers are said,

Mother tells me, Happy dreams! an takes away the light,

An leaves me lyin all alone an seein things at night!

Sometimes theyre in the corner, sometimes theyre by the door,

Sometimes theyre all a-standin in the middle uv the floor;

Sometimes they are a-sittin down, sometimes theyre walkin round

So softly an so creepylike they never make a sound!

Sometimes they are as black as ink, an other times theyre white ---

But the color aint no difference when you see things at night!

Once, when I licked a feller at had just moved on our street,

An father sent me up to bed without a bite to eat,

I woke up in the dark an saw things standin in a row,

A-lookin at me cross-eyed an pintin at me so!

Oh, my! I wuz so skeered that time I never slep a mite

Its almost alluz when Im bad I see things at night!

Lucky think I aint a girl, or Id be skeered to death!

Bein Im a boy, I duck my head an hold my breath;

An I am, oh! So sorry Im a naughty boy, an then

I promise to be better an I say my prayers again!

Granma tells me thats the only way to make it right

When a fellar has been wicked an sees things at night!

An so, when other naughty boys would coax me into sin,

I try to skwush the Tempters voice at urges me within;

An when theys pie for supper, or cake ats big an nice,

I want to --- but I do not pass my plate fr them things twice!

No, ruther let starvationa wipe me slowly out o sight

Than I should keep a-livin on an seein things at night!

Eugene Field

The New Vestments

There lived an old man in the Kingdom of Tess,

Who invented a purely original dress;

And when it was perfectly made and complete,

He opened the door, and walked into the street.

By way of a hat, hed a loaf of Brown Bread,

In the middle of which he inserted his head;

His Shirt was made up of no end of dead Mice,

The warmth of whose skins was quite fluffy and nice;

His Drawers were of Rabbit-skins; so were his Shoes;

His Stockings were skins but it is not known whose;

His Waistcoat and Trousers were made of Pork Chops;

His Buttons were Jujubes, and Chocolate Drops;

His Coat was all Pancakes with Jam for a border,

And a girdle of Biscuits to keep it in order;

And he wore over all, as a screen from bad weather,

A Cloak of green Cabbage-leaves stitched all together.

He had walked a short way, when he heard a great noise,

Of all sorts of Beasticles, Birdlings, and Boys;

And from every long street and dark lane in the town

Beasts, Birdles, and Boys in a tumult rushed down.

Two Cows and a half ate his Cabbage-leaf Cloak;

Four Apes seized his Girdle, which vanished like smoke;

Three Kids ate up half of his Pancakey Coat,

And the tails were devoured by an ancient He Goat;

An army of Dogs in a twinkling tore up his

Pork Waistcoat and Trousers to give to their Puppies;

And while they were growling, and mumbling the Chops,

Ten Boys prigged the Jujubes and Chocolate Drops.

He tried to run back to his house, but in vain,

For Scores of fat Pigs came again and again;

They rushed out of stables and hovels and doors,

They tore off his stockings, his shoes, and his drawers;

And now from the housetops with screechings descend,

Striped, spotted, white, black, and gray Cats without end,

They jumped on his shoulders and knocked off his hat,

When Crows, Ducks, and Hens made a mincemeat of that,

They speedily flew at his sleeves in a trice,

And utterly tore up his Shirt of dead Mice;

They swallowed the last of his Shirt with a squall,

Whereon he ran home with no clothes on at all.

And he said to himself as he bolted the door,

I will not wear a similar dress anymore,

Anymore, anymore, anymore, nevermore!Edward LearThe Walrus and the Carpenter

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done

Its very rude of him, she said,

To come and spoil the fun!

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying overhead

There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand;

They wept like anything else to see

Such quantities of sand:

If this were only cleared away,

They said, it would be grand!

If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose, the Walrus said,

That they could get it clear?

I doubt it, said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

O Oysters, come and walk with us!

The Walrus did beseech.

A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach:

We cannot do with more than four,

To give a hand to each.

The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said:

The eldest Oyster winked his eye,

And shook his heavy head

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat:

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadnt any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more

All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low:

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.

The time has come, the Walrus said,

To talk of many things:

Of shoesand shipsand sealing-wax

Of cabbagesand kings

And why the sea is boiling hot

And whether pigs have wings.

But wait a bit, the Oyster cried,

Before we have our chat;

For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!

No hurry! said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.

A loaf of bread, the Walrus said,

Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed

Now if youre ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed.

But not on us! the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!

The night is fine, the Walrus said,

Do you admire the view?

It was so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!

The Carpenter said nothing but

Cut us another slice:

I wish you were not quite so deaf

Ive had to ask you twice!

It seems a shame, the Walrus said,

To play them such a trick,

After weve brought them out so far,

And made them trot so quick!

The Carpenter said nothing but

The butters spread too thick!

I weep for you, the Walrus said:

I deeply sympathize.

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.

O Oysters, said the Carpenter,

Youve had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?

But answer came there none

And this was scarcely odd, because

Theyd eaten every one.

Lewis Carroll

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weatherd every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and

daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise upfor you the flag is flungfor you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbond wreathsfor you the shores

a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces

turning;

Here, Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head!

It is some dream that on the deck,

Youve fallen cold and dead.My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchord safe and sound, its voyage closed and

done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores! and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman The Ant-Eater

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