233B: An old rhyming picture book

My search is for an old children’s picture book with a short rhyming story. Not sure of title, but I think it is “Susan Mariah.” The text goes “Susan Mariah fell in the fire. The fire was so hot She fell in a pot. The pot was so little She fell in a kittle…etc.”

Thanks so much.

6 thoughts on “233B: An old rhyming picture book”

Nicole August 10, 2015 at 1:15 pm

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=72705 lists a similar rhyme. Could these be some of the missing lyrics?
Old man ‘badiah jumped in the fire.
The fire was hot so he jumped in the pot.
The pot was little so he jumped in the kettle.
The kettle was black so he jumped in the crack.
The crack was high so he jumped in the sky.
The sky was blue so he jumped in the canoe.
The canoe sprang a leak so he jumped in the creek.
The creek was soft so he jumped in the loft.
The loft was rotten so he jumped in the cotton.

See also:
Counting-Out Rhymes: A Dictionary by
Roger D. Abrahams, Lois Rankin
University of Texas Press, Dec 18, 2013

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Dudley Gilmer August 10, 2015 at 4:09 pm

So close with some identical lines–wow! But I’d still like to find Susan Mariah! Hers ended with the words : “___ she went higher and higher, and that was the end of Susan Mariah !”
I recall sort-of folk art pictures, and a girl with pigtails. We all chanted the words along with the reader. Now I want the book for a child with that name!
Thanks so much.

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Becca August 13, 2015 at 10:15 pm

I know this rhyme as Anna Mariah.

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Dudley Gilmer August 16, 2015 at 4:33 pm

Wow, how neat to learn all these versions! My kids now tell me that ours was “Susie” (not Susan) Mariah who fell in the fire! it’s wonderful that people used to recite rhymes. it proves that rhymes stay in our memories forever. Especially the nonsense ones.
thanks

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