A Knight

 

A Knight

I know a jolly little lad.
He is a "Gallant Knight"
He goes ahead and does his best
in what he knows is right.

Otto The Otter

Otto The Otter's Favorite Story

      Otto the otter was born in a hole in the riverbank. It was not just any kind of hole that happened to be there, but a fine made-on-purpose hole that Father and Mother Otter had dug themselves. It was high enough above the water so that it was warm and dry, but the doorway was at the end of a long tunnel and opened right into the river.
       That underwater doorway worried Otto. How could he get out of an underwater doorway unless he knew how to swim? But how could he learn to swim if he stayed home? Whenever he asked his mother about it, she said, "Wait and see." But one day she said something different. She said, "You're old enough now to find out. Climb on my back, and whatever happens, don't let go."
       Otto climbed on his mother's back, and off she went down the tunnel. She went so fast that Otto didn't have time to think. One minute he was in the tunnel and the next he was in the water. And the next he was out of the water and up on top of the riverbank.
       There was a warm brightness roundabout that made him feel good. "That is sunshine," explained his mother. Young Otto liked sunshine, but what he really wanted was to learn to swim, and he said so.
       "Wait a bit," said his mother. "Watch your father and me till you see how it's done. You weren't born knowing how to swim, even if you were born wanting to know."
       Father Otter came just then and began playing with his son. Otto thought that was great fun and never guessed that Father was testing the baby muscles to see if they were strong and healthy.
       "Now watch me," said Father, "and you'll see some fun."
       He went over to a place on the bank that was as slick as wet fish. It was slick because Father and Mother had been sliding on it with their slick wet bodies. He tucked his front feet beneath his tummy, gave a push with his hind feet, and -- whee-ee -- down the slippery slick slide he went lickety-cut.
       He was back up on the bank again in no time. Then it was Mother Otter's turn. She tucked her front feet beneath her tummy, gave a push with her hind feet, and -- whee-ee -- down the slippery slick slide she went lickety-cut.
       Otto thought that looked like even more fun than swimming. He edged closer and closer to the slide so that he could see exactly how it was done. He got closer and closer - and he put just one foot on one corner of that slippery slick slide, just to see how it felt. And then --whoosh! His feet shot out from under him and he turned a flip-flop in the air and came down on the slickest part of that slippery slick slide. Down he went into the water --kersplash! 

       Quick as a flash Mother Otter was beside him, no, beneath him. She came up under him and had him safe on her back before he could say gulp.

       When she was sure he was all right, she said, "Now that you're in the water, you might as well learn to swim. Kick your feet now. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. That's it. I'll be right here to hold you up."

       Little Otto struck out bravely. One, two, three, four. He wasn't the least bit afraid, because he was sure that his mother was holding him up. But clever Mrs. Otter had other plans. She kept sinking lower and lower into the water. Soon she wasn't holding him up at all. He was really swimming by himself, and he didn't know it!

       At last Mother Otter turned quickly and came up to the surface beside Otto. He was so surprised to see her that he almost stopped swimming.

       "Keep kicking," cautioned his mother. "One, two, three, four."

       She sounded so encouraging that Otto began kicking with all his might, his feet churning the water like four little paddles.

       Just then Father Otter came along.

       "Look, Father, I'm swimming all by myself," Otto cried. I'm going to go swimming every day of my life."

        And so he did. He became one of the best swimmers on the river, and one of the best fishermen, too. 

 A river otter named Buddy is rescued.

Read More About Otters:

• One Otterly Adorable Character
• Get to know the keepers of the kelp forests
• Second Chances: Tilly the river otter
• Sea otter gets adopted... 

The Baker's Shop

The Baker's Shop

A Hippity hippity hop! Heigh-ho!
Away to the baker's shop we go!
The baker makes buns;
They are two for a penny.
If you haven't the money,
You cannot get any.
A hippity hippity hop!

A Lullaby

 A Lullaby by Frank Dempster Sherman

Slumber, slumber, little one, now
The bird is asleep in his nest on the bough;
The bird is asleep, he has folded his wings,
And over him softly the dream-fairy sings:
Lullaby, lullaby-lullaby!
Pearls in the deep-
Stars in the sky,
Dreams in our sleep;
So lullaby!

Slumber, slumber, little one, soon
The fairy will come in the ship of the moon:
The fairy will come with the pearls and the stars,
And dreams will come singing through shad-
owy bars:
Lullaby, lullaby-lullaby!
Pearls in the deep-
Stars in the sky,
Dreams in our sleep;
So lullaby!

Slumber, slumber, little one, so;
The stars are the pearls that the dream-fairies
know,
The stars are the pearls, and the bird in the
nest, 
A dear little fellow the fairies love best:
Lullaby, lullaby-lullaby!
Pearls in the deep-
Stars in the sky,
Dreams in our sleep;
So lullaby!

The Sandman

The Sandman

The Sandman comes across the land,
At evening when the sun is low;
Upon his back a bag of sand-
His step is soft and slow.
I never hear his gentle tread,
But when I bend my sleepy head,
''The Sandman's coming!" mother says,
And mother tells the truth, always!

I guess he's old, with silver hair,
He's up so late! He has to go
To lots of children, everywhere,
At evening, when the sun is low.
His cloak is long, and green, and old,
With pretty dreams in every fold-
His shoes are silken, mother says,
And mother tells the truth, always!

He glides across the sunset hill,
To seek each little child, like me;
Our all-day-tired eyes to fill
With sands of sleep, from slumber's sea.
I try my best awake to stay,
But I am tired out with play;
I'll never see him, mother says,
And mother tells the truth, always!

The Wind by Christina G. Rossetti

THE  WIND

WHO  has  seen  the  wind?
Neither  I  nor  you;
But  when  the  leaves  hang  trembling
The  wind  is  passing  through.

Who  has  seen  the  wind?
Neither  you  nor  I;
But  when  the  trees  bow  down  their  heads,
The  wind  is  passing  by.

Where do all the daises go?

 WHERE  DO  ALL  THE  DAISIES  GO?
by Isabella F. Bellows

WHERE  do  all  the  daisies  go?
I  know,  I  know!
Underneath  the  snow  they  creep,
Nod  their  little  heads  and  sleep,
In  the  springtime  out  they  peep;
That  is  where  they  go!

Where  do  all  the  birdies  go?
I  know,  I  know!
Far  away  from  winter  snow
To  the  fair,  warm  South  they  go;   
There  they  stay  till  daisies  blow,
That  is  where  they  go!

Where  do  all  the  babies  go?
I  know,  I  know!
In  the  glancing  firelight  warm,
Safely  sheltered  from  all  harm,
Soft  they  lie  on  mother's  arm,
That  is  where  they  go!

The Little Land

The creatures of ''Little Land''

 THE  LITTLE  LAND by Robert  Louis  Stevenson

WHEN  at  home  alone  I  sit
And  am  very  tired  of  it,
I  have  just  to  shut  my  eyes
To  go  sailing  through  the  skies  -
To  go  sailing  far  away
To  the  pleasant  Land  of  Play;

To  the  Fairy  land  afar
Where  the  Little  People  are;
Where  the  clover-tops  are  trees,
And  the  rain-pools  are  the  seas,
And  the  leaves  like  little  ships
Sail  about  on  tiny  trips;
And  above  the  daisy  tree
Through  the  grasses,
High  overhead  the  Bumble  Bee
Hums  and  passes.

In  that  forest  to  and  fro
I  can  wander,  I  can  go;
See  the  spider  and  the  fly,
And  the  ants  go  marching  by
Carrying  parcels  with  their  feet
Down  the  green  and  grassy  street.
I  can  in  the  sorrel  sit
Where  the  ladybird  alit.
I  can  climb  the  jointed  grass;
And  on  high
See  the  greater  swallows  pass
In  the  sky,
And  the  round  sun  rolling  by
Heeding  no  such  thing  as  I.

Through  the  forest  I  can  pass
Till,  as  in  a  looking-glass,
Humming  fly  and  daisy  tree
And  my  tiny  self  I  see,
Painted  very  clear  and  neat
On  the  rain-pool  at  my  feet.
Should  a  leaflet  come  to  land
Drifting  near  to  where  I  stand,
Straight  I'll  board  that  tiny  boat
Round  the  rain-pool  sea  to  float.

Little  thoughtful  creatures  sit
On  the  grassy  coasts  of  it;
Little  things  with  lovely  eyes
See  me  sailing  with  surprise.
Some  are  clad  in  armor  green  -
(These  have  sure  to  battle  been !)
Some  are  pied  with  ev'ry  hue,
Black  and  crimson,  gold  and  blue;
Some  have  wings  and  swift  are  gone;
But  they  all  look  kindly  on.

When  my  eyes  I  once  again
Open  and  see  all  things  plain;
High  bare  walls,  great  bare  floor;
Great  big  knobs  on  drawer  and  door;
Great  big  people  perched  on  chairs,
Stitching  tucks  and  mending  tears,
Each  a  hill  that  I  could  climb,
And  talking  nonsense  all  the  time -
O  dear  me,
That  I  could  be
A  sailor  on  the  rain-pool  sea,
A  climber  in  the  clover  tree,
And  just  come  back,  a  sleepy-head,
Late  at  night  to  go  to  bed.

Sewing

 Sewing

IF  Mother  Nature  patches
The  leaves  of  trees  and  vines,

I'm  sure  she  does  her  darning
With  the  needles  of  the  pines;

They  are  so  long  and  slender,
And  somewhere  in  full  view,

She  has  her  threads  of  cobweb.
And  a  thimbleful  of  dew. 

Echo

 Echo

I  SOMETIMES  wonder  where  he  lives.
This  Echo  that  I  never  see.
I  hear  his  voice  now  in  the  hedge,
Then  down  behind  the  willow  tree.

And  when  I  call,  "Oh,  please  come  out,'
"Come  out,"  he  always  quick  replies.
Hello,  hello,"  again  I  say;
"Hello,  hello,"  he  softly  cries.

He  must  be  jolly,  Echo  must;
For  when  I  laugh,  "Ho,  ho,  ho,  ho,"
Like  any  other  friendly  boy,
He  answers  me  with  "Ho,  ho,  ho."

I  think  perhaps  he'd  like  to  play;
I  know  some  splendid  things  to  do.
He  must  be  lonely  hiding  there;
I  wouldn't  like  it.    Now,  would  you?

Cloud Castles

Children dreaming of castles and ships in the air...

Cloud Castles by Minnie Leona Upton

LET  us  watch  the  castles,
Castles  in  the  air,
Oh,  so  tall  and  stately,
Far  away  and  fair!
Oh,  the  splendid  windows!
Oh,  the  towers  tall!
Oh,  the  winding  stairways!
We  may  have  them  all !

Let  us  climb  the  stairways,
Let  us  mount  the  towers,
Then  look  down  at  leisure
On  this  world  of  ours;
We  will  see  the  cities
Where  we  cannot  go;
Where  the  long  roads  lead  to
We  will  surely  know! 

All  the  ships  a-sailing,
Oh,  so  far  away,
To  the  wonder  countries
We  will  see  to-day!
All  their  white  sails  gleaming,
Colors  flying  bright,
And  the  foam  behind  them
Sparkling  in  the  light !

We've  no  wings  for  flying,
But  we  need  not  grieve  -
We  will  do  these  wonders
All  in  make-believe!
Under  whispering  maples
Oh,  what  fun  to  lie.
Wide-awake,  yet  dreaming
Of  castles  in  the  sky!

Little Carry's Birthday

       ''Carry was nine years old," daddy said. ''A few minutes before eleven Carry's little brother came to her, ringing a large bell. 'Come to the celebration for the queen of the day!' he shouted and all the family joined the procession.

      ''In the center of the room was a table. And such a marvelously covered table! But, first of all, they seated Carry in a big rocking-chair at the head of the table. They were all dressed up in funny costumes which they always wore for birthday celebrations. The table was full of presents, and in the center was a cake with nine lighted candles on it. ''Happy Birthday!'' they all cried together.

      ''She opened her presents one by one. She had lovely pink knitted bed-room slippers from her mother, a beautiful doll from her daddy, a workbag from her granny, a paint box from her auntie and a big box of candy from her brother, which he'd bought with his very own saved-up money, and which to Carry was the best present of all!''

More About Birthdays:

• 'Happy Birthday' alphabet coloring pages
• Color a scrumptious ice cream cone cake!
• Craft a Crayon Caddy Cake for A Birthday Surprise!