My daughter and her friend Marisa taught me this birthday rhyme in the car the other day. They chant this in class to talk about birthdays and months of the year. Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums, Tell me when your birthday comes? January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December? Some people...

Karla wrote: Hi, My name is Karla Wass. Recently my grandmother has passed, and as a child she would place us (15 grandkids + 10 great grandkids) on her knee and sing to us. Unfortunately, none of us could remember the name and she left so suddenly we were unable to ask her it. I...

Uly sent me a handclapping rhyme called “Quack Dilly Oso” which she said many people actually know as “Stella Ella Ola”. Here are the words to “Quack Dilly Oso” that Uly sent me: Quack Dilly Oso Quack dilly oso, quack quack qua-ack, Saaaanyorita*, rita rita rita, velo! Velo! Velo, velo, velo, velo! One two three FOUR. *Uly wrote,...

I received a letter from Hungary from Mrs. Török looking for English rhymes to play with children sitting on laps. She wrote that she’s looking for “British, American or Canadian short riddles or rhymes which we don’t have to sing but they can be played while the children are sitting on the mothers’ legs. ...

We’ve been very busy here, redesigning Mama Lisa’s House of Nursery Rhymes, which features traditional English Mother Goose. The new design will break down the rhymes alphabetically. Each letter of the alphabet will have its own page – and that page will have all of the rhymes we have that begin with that...

My daughter often comes home chanting rhymes that she learns in school or on the bus. Being Mama Lisa, I quickly jot down the ones I’ve never heard before. Here’s an odd one she chanted the other day… First is the worst Second is the best Third is the one with the hairy chest. I don’t know...

The popular rhyme What’s Your Name? Mary Jane goes back to England over 100 years ago. With the beginning of the new school year, I’ve learnt a new version from a young American schoolgirl. The funny thing about this one is that it refers to Michael Jackson, but she has no idea who...

Mirka wrote: Hello from Slovakia! I found your super page in web, it is very special, nice and helpful. Thank you! Can you help me with a nursery rhyme: ZEBRA, ZEBRA AT (IN) THE ZOO? I cannot find the words anywhere. Thanks! Have a nice day! Love from Mirka If anyone can...

It’s always a happy day when I can answer a reader’s question about a song, nursery rhyme or poem. I was recently asked by Marion to help her find “a nursery rhyme my mother used to say to me in the very early 1930’s. Don’t know the name, but the first couple of...

Everyone who grows up speaking English knows Roses Are Red. But you may not be familiar with all the versions there are. Of course, there’s the one that’s most well known and that basically sounds like a cliché… Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you! Then there’s the following one, which...

Thomas Edison made the first recording of the human voice in 1877. He recited the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb. He re-recorded it in 1927 for posterity. Mary Had a Little Lamb Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go. Listen to Thomas...

Here’s another poem for Thanksgiving… Five Little Turkeys Five little turkeys standing in a row. (Hold up 5 fingers) First little turkey said, “I don’t want to grow.” (Hold up 1 finger) Second little turkey said, “Why do you say that?” (Hold up 2 fingers) Third little turkey said, “I want to get fat.” (Hold up 3 fingers) Fourth little turkey...

Here’s a Popular Thanksgiving Poem… Five Little Pilgrims Five little Pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day. (Hold up 5 fingers) The first one said, “I’ll have cake if I may.” (Point to the thumb) The second one said, “I’ll have turkey roasted.” (Point to the index finger) The third one said, “I’ll have chestnuts toasted.” (Point to the middle finger) The...

My daughter’s close friend moved away to Canada last month. She was talking about how she missed her, so I encouraged her to record a song and email it. She sang the ABC song. Her friend received the recording within minutes. Her parents wrote back the same day telling us how...

Toni wrote, This is a rhyme my son loved… Fishy, Fishy, In a Brook Fishy, fishy, in a brook Daddy caught him with a hook Mommy fried him in a pan And baby ate him like a man. I found a different version in The Real Mother Goose Book of American Rhymes… Fishy, Fishy in the Brook Fishy, fishy in the brook, Papa catch...