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Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Poems

by FCIT

Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Poems

This collection of children's verses includes classics such as "Hickory Dickory Dock", "Jack and Jill", "Simple Simon", "The Old Woman in the Shoe", "Little Bo-Peep", and many more.

Source: This book was compiled by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology and includes passages from multiple sources. Please refer to the passage pages for further source information.

A Was an Apple Pie
A poem incorporating the alphabet.
Bird Thoughts
This poem explores the growth of a baby bird and its discovery of the world it lives in.
The Cat and the Fiddle (Hey Diddle Diddle)
Children’s nursery rhyme about a cat, fiddle, cow, moon, dog, dish, and spoon.
Cobbler, Mend My Shoe
A child's nursery rhyme dealing with time.
Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!
A funny nonsensical poem.
Coffee and Tea
Two sisters disagree.
Curly Locks, Curly Locks
A poem about a man trying to win the heart of a maid.
Cushy Cow Bonny
A nursery rhyme (from Mother Goose) originating from a milkmaid chant used to charm her cow to give milk.
Dance Little Baby
A nursery rhyme that mimics a lullaby.
Dapple Gray
A nonsense and humorous rhyme about a child building a horse out of hay.
Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling
A rhyme about a child sleeping with stockings and one shoe on.
Diddley, Diddley, Dumpty
A nonsensical nursery rhyme.
Ding, Dong, Bell
A limerick about a drowned cat.
An Egg
A fun riddle.
Evening Red and Morning Gray
A nautical weather proverb
For Every Evil Under the Sun
A Mother Goose jingle that acts as a proverb about pessimism.
Georgy-Porgy
A nursery rhyme classified as a satire and/or taunt.
Handy Spanky, Jack-A-Dandy
A fun limerick about a boy who loves candy.
He That Would Thrive
A proverb that praises those who do not procrastinate.
Here Sits the Lord Mayor
A fun nursery rhyme/riddle.
Here We Go Up, Up, Up
A rhyme about children’s play.
Hickory, Dickory, Dock
A rhyme about a mouse.
Hippity—Hop to the Barber Shop
A nursery rhyme in the from of a gesture and/or action song.
Hot-Cross Buns
A nursery rhyme formatted from a peddler’s cry.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty falls, breaks, and can’t be put back together.
I Am a Gold Lock
A nursery rhyme that acts a a fun catch.
I Had a Little Hen
A fun nursery rhyme about a little hen.
I Had a Little Hobby Horse
A limerick about a hobby horse.
I Have a Little Sister
A Mother Goose rhyme about a little sister.
Ickity, Pickity
Silly children’s limerick.
In the Merry Month of May
A poem about the coming of spring.
Inly, Minly, Dibbity Fig
Counting-out Jingles, Silly children’s limerick.
Intery, Mintery, Cutery Corn
A children’s counting limerick.
Jack and Jill
What happened when Jack and Jill went up the hill.
Jack Sprat
A nursery rhyme focused on the character sketch of Jack Sprat and his wife as counterparts of each other.
Jumping Joan
A humorous limerick.
Little Betty Blue
A fun limerick about a girl who loses her shoe.
Little Bo-Peep
Tales, Nursery Rhyme
Little Cock-Sparrow
A poem about a boy hunting a cock-sparrow.
Little Girl Where Have You Been?
Mother Goose rhyme about a girl who gathers roses for the queen.
Little Girl, Little Girl
A nursery rhyme about a girl who gathers roses for the queen.
Little Jack Horner
Scenes and incidents, Nursery Rhyme
Little Man Will You Wed?
A funny limerick about a man in love with a maid.
Little Miss Muffet
Children’s nursery rhyme about a little girl and a spider.
Little Polly Flinders
Punishment, Choices
Little Robin Redbreast
A nursery rhyme about the stereotypical relationship between cats and birds.
Little Tucker’s Dog
A nursery rhyme about a dog.
Maid Mary
A humorous poem about the daily routine of a farmer and his maid.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
A nursery rhyme about Mary and her garden.
Molly My Sister
A limerick about a silly fight between siblings.
My Little Old Man
A nursery rhyme about an argument over money.
Naught, One
A nonsense nursery rhyme that closely resembles a jump rope rhyme.
The North Wind
A poem about the coming of winter.
Old Dan Tucker
A nonsense and/or humorous rhyme about a fictional character Old Dan Tucker.
Old King Cole
This merry king called for his pipe, fiddlers, and bowl.
Old Mother Hubbard
A nursery rhyme involving the antics of Old Mother Hubbard and her dog.
The Old Woman in a Shoe
A nursery rhyme about an old woman who lives in a shoe.
The Old Woman of Leeds
A nursery rhyme about a pious old woman performing good works.
Pat a Cake
A nursery rhyme about baking a cake.
Pease Porridge Hot
Peddler’s Cries, Nursery Rhyme
Peter Piper
A nursery rhyme that also serves as a tongue twister about Peter Piper.
Peter Piper
Peter Piper picked pickled peppers
Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater
A nursery rhyme categorized as a scene and/or incident about Peter Pumpkin Eater and his wife.
Polly, Put the Kettle On
A funny nursery rhyme about the arrival of guests.
Pussy-Cat, Pussy-Cat
A nursery rhyme about a cat and a queen.
The Queen of Hearts
A fun nonsensical poem about the Queen of Hearts and her tarts.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
A fun limerick about the rain.
Red Herrings
A fun nonsensical poem.
Ride a Cock Horse To Banbury Cross
A poem about symbolic fertility.
Robin Hood and Allin A Dale
A poem about Robin Hood in the form of a ballad.
See a Pin and Pick It Up
A proverb concerning luck.
Simple Simon
A funny limerick about a pieman and his wares.
Sing a Song of Sixpence
The blackbirds that were supposed to be baked in a pie for the king began to sing when the pie was opened. They then flew down to snap off the maid’s nose.
Sing a Song of Sixpence
A poem about blackbirds that get baked in a pie.
Sleepy-Head
A nursery rhyme exploring character study.
Swan Swam Over the Sea
A fun tongue twister.
There Was a Crooked Man
A poem about a crooked man.
There Was a Little Girl
A sweet young girl can be not so sweet.
This Little Mouse
A rhyme about a mouse being caught in a trap.
Trit-Trot, Trit-Trot
A nursery rhyme that acts a a gesture and/or action song relating the sounds to the actions of trotting to and from a market.
We’re All in the Dumps
A traditional nonsense verse that is often sung.
Wee Willie Winkie
The poem was recited by the Town Crier to teach children to associate every day tasks with their own lives.
When the Bees All Homeward Fly
A poem about logicical natural progression.
When the Fog Goes Up the Hill
Fog goes up; rain comes down.
Whirly-Whicker-Whaker
A rhyme about a farmer who chases a hog out of his fodder field.
  • Year Published: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States of America
  • Readability:
    • Flesch–Kincaid Level: 1.8
  • Word Count: 4,523
  • Genre: Nursery Rhyme
  • Keywords: alphabet, fruit, poetry
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