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I
The Spangled Pandemonium
The spangled pandcnoniuLtr ls rlissing lrorrr the zoo. He bent thc Lrars the barcsr biL, lrd s]jlhered gLibll hl.ortgh'
L

'1

He crarvlcrl across drc moaLed rtall, He L:lirlbcrl l1te rrango trcr.', A[d \hen thc ].eeper scranbled L p, Hc lippecl hin irr tLe knee.
To all ol 1,:ru, a \\_arning N.iL ao 1\_andcr aller darl<, C)r lf tou must, rrlake \er) sure liru sla) out o1 dre park.

$
J

For thc sp.ruglerl pandcrrrortlL rn ls rrlssilrg lionr Llre zoo, And si rce he nrlperl ris kecpcr, Hc 1\'ou d just as \oort tttp 1ou.
pdhl]] BIo1rn

IO

Mv TY came down with a

MyTv came dou'n wi a chll.
As soon as I saw it was ill I r'r'rapped up its channels In warm winter flannels And gar'e its anterlna a pill.
Willord R. Espy

chill

1Z

AWasp on a Nettle Said: 'Coo!'

A wasp on a netde said: 'Cool We're in a right mess, me and you. we have got o sot out what this is about. Piease tell me who's got to sting $'ho?'
Fronk Richords

Woobit Song

AWoobit went waLking through Carrarvay Town In his Iagged ne sweater and his tin golden crown. He whiffled and wurbled and sang 'worrajee', Because he was coming to ea| me br tea.
He woffed on the doorstep and wonged on tlie be1l, He sniggled and snor|ed at the thorrglrt o the smell of iite gir] chops and litt]e girl pies, (He wanted to cuncl] me with vinegary fries)'
But I didn't care for his scrobbies and squeals, (Because nobody likes to beWoobitses' meals). So I Eomped on his crowrr, ard m'urfulled his sweater, tu1d no$. (for a Woobit) he couldn't be better.
lucy Coob

r8

&
The elephant knocked the ground
The elep]rant knocked thc glound \\'ith a stck, Hc knocked it slor,r', he knockcd ir quick. He kDocked it Lill his trunk turned blacLThen the ground turned round and lorocked him back.

' di(in

Mjlchl]

Bigtrousers Dan
Irr the ]and

|or tp.:' and thc cor"_s in the hay eel sleepy all day. rhere'c; rwnrnpri,l qoht rn cec On rhe banks o the Ri\'e Bongbong,
sits a n_hiskcry rran,

|e|' r|| -.: o|''p

o RunlpL1'doodle

and he plays 1vith h1s brand nerv machne' There are gronfles and nogglets and pluilles and valves that go ker-pling and ker plang, atd a big sugar rvheel

,i

n..r ,..-J--. .^.irt. . .n...it ril] it's oi]cd rvrt]r a choco]ale lelingue. There are wurdlies and }umdings and crulnchies that 8o lound just as lst as tlrey can, and a big chocolatc ball that makes no sound at all, thanks ro clevel oid Bigtrousers Dan.
Ptr Mortimer

'i

:,!

.k

IfPigs Could FIY

lf Pigs could fly, Id flY a Pig To foeign countlies small arrd bigTo Italy ard SPah, To Austda, \ 'here cowbells ring, To Germany, where PeoPle singArd then come home again.

Wh}.' everyone \ould raise a shout To see his tloLLeI and his snou Come floating fron rhe sky; And I would bc a fanous slar

\\ lno\\|l |' ''l'||i''nedr.lnd|d|

If only pigs could ly|

I'd see the Ganges anld the Nile: I,d vsit Madagascar,s isle, And Persia and Peru. People t'ouJd say |hey d neve seen So odd, so strange an air machlne As that on rvhich l flerv.

-hmes Ree!s

.^r .,,,J^ ) C)^*,,-'t \---/ f

25

Humpty Dumpty vent to the Moon

Humpty Dumpty went to the moon on a supesodc sPoon' He took some porridge and a tent but when he landed the spoon gor bent. Humpty said he didn't care and for all I know he's still up there.
Michdel Rosen

If I Were An Explorer
If I were a:r explorer I'd reach that far-off land Called Jumbledup, where sand llas sea Ald sea was made of sand, Where snow fell every slrnrrrer On herds of grazing bees, And cows flew round the blossom na rl- ^*,-^- .-^l- *-^"
Richord Idwords

Cincinnati Pattv
CiDcinnati Patty, smaller than a thumb, rode a mouse to Cleveland to feast upon a p1um, she feasted for a minute, and that lvas her mistake,
fo Cincinna Pat|y got a giant belly ache.

Jdck Prelutsky

My Cousin, an Explore Called Betty

My cousin, an explorer called BettY
Grelv fat eating plates of spaghetti. On a trek in Tibet, She was caught in a net And displayed in the zoo as aYeti
Geivds

Phinn

The Gondoliers of Greenland

The Gondoliers of Greenland Are d-re Grumpiest folk in the North The carals melt on Augusr the Second And ieeze up on Augus| the Foul|h. In those ts'o laborious glorious days All thet incornes must be made And the rest of the yei.l they wait listlessly To pll their ridiculous trade.
drion Mitch]l

{/{/

TI

rr*
Mabel Murple
Mabel Murple's house was purple so was Mabel,s hai Mabel Murple's cat was purple pl,tnlp pvenmrhere Mabel Murple's bike was purple So were Mabel's ears And when Mabel Murple cried She cried terrible purple tears.
Sheree

Fitch

38

Chester's Undoing
Chestel lestel Kikenby Dale Caught his svr'eater on a nail. As cheste lestel started to trave] so his sweate be8an to mael' A great long ffail of crirrtly wool Followed cheste do!\'rr to school' Then his ears utaved! His neck ald his nose! Chester rmdid }om his head to nls toes. Chester's uldone, one un purl, two un plain, Srho's got the pattern to &nit him againz
Julie Holdu

39

Little John was not content

Ltt1c Johrr rvas not con|ent

Unless he played rvidl wel ceme ! Onc day alas i soncone's )ard, He stayed too long and set quite lurd. His mothcl ddn,t .allt ]inl hone so no\"/ he's just a garden gnome.
Mdx lotchn

There Was an Old ManWith a Beard

There rvas an oid Man r'r,ith a bearrl, Who sald,'It is just as I fearedlTwo Owls and a Hen, Iour larks and a Wren l". b.ril tl,err ne,. rr rr, be- dl

"

Idwoid ld

My Uncle Paul of Pimlico

My Uncle Paul of Pimlico
Has seveB cats as \hite as snow lvho sit at blis enormous feet And watch him, as a special treat, Play the piano uPside dom, ln his delightui dressing go\^11; The firelight teaps, e parlour glows, cnd, \^ hile e music ebbs and low". They snile (while purring tbe reftains), At little thoughts that coss their bins.
Menyn
Peoke

+6

Uncle Ben from Number One

Uncle Ben was not a hen Rrrr whp h ]rid oo 'n He did it quite professionally By li{ting up a leg.
He studied it alrd prodded it And said, 'l'm mystified.' Arrd then lre took it to e }itchen where he had it, fiied.
Brion Pottn

A Frog and a Flea

IftogaDoaleJ
And

ce jumpcd for a prize In a pot o glrrc; The kangaroo stuck And so did the flea, And the fiog lilrped hotre With a fuactuld knee'

a kangarocr

cithr( M]tchl]

{..

The Donkey
I had a Donke): that as al] ].i8ht' But hc al$'ays \&'anted to fly my Kite; E\.ery timc I lel him, thc String t'ou1d bust.

\orD nl

. o,.rpll-e '"r'J l r..

Theodorc Roethke

The Llamas' Holiday

A bur-rch of adr'erturous llamas Dressed 1lp in bright coloured pliam;,. And set off one night on a holidal light To a beach in the balny Bahamas.
They didn't enjoy rhernseh'es fully: t't,h" ...rn tlp\ !^"r, 'e.:rr "nd 'rl.) And thel might have all drorvned, But the lileguard can-ie round Ar-rd hoisted tirern out $'idl a pullcyL
Gordon Snell

r.o.l\

Hippopotabus
The harmless hippopotabus, Is lots o fun |or all of us; He lets the children hop irside And charges nothing for a dde.
Doug Mcleod

/.i

_\

The Bison
The Bison is vain and (I write it with Pain) The Door-Mat you see on his head ls not, as some lealned plofessos mailtain, The opulent growth of a genius' blain; But is se$'n on with needle ald thread.
H]|dIre bl10c

55

A Sea-Serpent Saw a Big Tanker

A sea serpent saw a big talker, Bit a hole in hel side and tren salk her. Tt swallowed the clew In a minute or two, And then picked its teeth with the anc}o.
,4tun.

S6

The Lobsters and the Fiddler Crab

The lobsten caire ashore one night In the merry mon ofJune, And coaxed the fider crab to play A l]i.].ino lio fi]n The ]obstels darrced, the fider played Till mornino rn<v rerl Chased the dancers inro the sea And the ider home to bed!
Fredeiick J. Forster

s7

I eat my peas with honey

I p:r mv n-:r virh haner I've done it a1l my life.

But r keeps them on the ]oife,4non.

oo oo

Simple Simon Bought a Pie

S,mnle Simnn h, r,oht: nip Bur when he took a bite A caterpillar wriggled our To spoil his appetite.
Riclord Edwords

72

Snowflake Souffl
Snou.flake soul, Snowflake soul Makes a tip-smacking lunch On an ice-cold day.

You take seven snowflakes, You break seven eggs, And you sl it seven times With your two hir1d legs.
R:Lp rr in rn iolnn Thror,,' it on a plate, And slice off a slice With a rusty ice skate.
Xl.Y'emedy

71

They sailed to the Western Sea, they did, To a land a1l covered 1i|h tlees, And they bought an Owl and a useful Cart, And a pound ofRice arrd a CranberryThrt, And a hive of silvery BeesAnd *rey bought a Pig, and some green Jack da1vs, And a 1ovely Monkey with lollipop paws, And forty bottles o{ Ring Bo Ree, And no end of Stilton Cheese. Fal and ew, far and fuw, Are the lands where the Jurnblies live; Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, \nd Il ' \^".| |l' { J i|. |ie\.' And in t\,\'enty years they all came back, In Lwenty years or more. .Ho\ tall they've grown! And everyone said, for they've been to lhe Lakes, and the Tordble Zone, Arrd the hills of the Chankly Bore;' And tlrey dralk their health and gave |hem a east Ol oun'pli g. n"de gf 6..1Lr1if1l yeJ''; And everyone said, 'I we o y livc, We, too, wl] 8o !o sea in a sieve To re hil]s of he Chankly BoIe]' Far arrd ew, far and few, Are the lands where the lumblies live; Their heads are green. and their hands are blue, And they wenr to sea 1n a Sieve.
ldvyord Ldr

r7