Great A, little b,
The cat's in the cupboard
And she can't C.
Notes
The version in the illustration at the top of the page is a little different:
Great A, little a,
Bouncing B!
The cat's in the cupboard,
And she can't see.
Here's how it is in The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright:
ABC
Great A, little a,
Bouncing B!
The cat's in the cupboard,
And can't see me.
Here's a version from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith:
A, B, C, Tumble Down D
A, B, C, tumble down D,
The cat's in the cupboard, and can't see me.
Here's the version from The Sleeping Beauty Picture Book, illustrated by Walter Crane:
Great A, little A, Bouncing B,
The cat's in the cupboard.
And she can't see me.
*****
Here's a slight variation sent in by Sasha:
Little a, Big A, bouncing B
The cat's in the cupboard and can't see me!
Photos & Illustrations
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The first version of the rhyme is from A History of Nursery Rhymes (1899) by Percy B. Green. The second version of the rhyme and the illustration at the top of the page are from Denslow's Mother Goose (published in 1901, New York), it was illustrated by William Wallace Denslow. The second illustration is from The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897). The 3rd illustration is from The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. the 4th image is from The Sleeping Beauty Picture Book, illustrated by Walter Crane. Thanks to Sasha for sending a variation of this rhyme!
