Tag Archives: poetry

375P: Boy on Farm Imagines Different Jobs (Solved!)

Mother is busy,
She’s making a pie.
But we do the farm work,
My dad and I.
Together, together,
We scatter the seeds,
We shear the sheep,
We pull the weeds.
We milk the cows,
We pet the goats,
We fix the fence,
We cut the oats . . .
Hand in hand along with Dad,
Around the farm with my dog Lad.

Winter, springtime, summer, fall,
Ours is the nicest farm of all.
But sometimes I wonder what I will be
When I am as old as – twenty-three!
I think of this, I think of that,
Till there I am in a trim gray hat . . .

I’m a mailman!
Tramp tramp tramp
I walk for blocks,
And I put Something Special in everyone’s box!
Woof, woof, say the dogs
As I walk through their yards,
But on I go, carrying
Letters and cards.
Then after I’ve brought
Everybody some mail,
I pick up a hammer
And drive in a nail –
Wham!
And there I am . . .

I’m a carpenter!
Bang goes my hammer,
I’m nailing down floors
And putting in windows
And hanging up doors.
Zing goes my saw
And I never stop
Till I’ve built a fine house
With a red roof on top.
Then I pack up my hammer,
I say, “Toodle-oo!”
And quick as a wink, There I am . . .
at the zoo!

I’m a zoo-keeper, see,
With a broom, and a key.
I’m walking the camels
And feeding the bears,
I’m stoking the lions
And sweeping their lairs.
I’m teaching the monkeys
And training the seals.
I’m giving the hippos
E-NOR-MOUS big meals!
Now evening is coming, the zoo has to close . . .

Presto and Change-o!
I wear a red nose . . .
Now I’m a clown
With a painted-up face.
I’m tumbling and jumping
All over the place.
My clown suit is baggy
(It’s puffed up with air!).
I wave to the children
I see everywhere.
See my duck in his bib?
See my dog in his bow?
See my string of balloons,
And my nose all aglow?
But all of a sudden
I catch on a hook,
And everyone shouts to me,
“Look, mister, look!”
Bang goes my clown suit-
A Shoosh! Then a pop! . . .

Then I hold up my hand
And the traffic must stop!
For I’m a policeman
At Walnut and Main.
Are you looking for Somewhere?
I’ll stop to explain.
Now, go, Jim and Johnny.
Go, Kathy and Joan.
Stop, Little Puppy,
Out walking alone!
Then all of a sudden
My day’s work is done,
So I find me a horse
(With a saddle, of course!)
And I strap on my gun. . . .

Now I’m a cowboy, a-riding along,
A-jingling my spurs and a-singing my song.
Across the Great Prairie I ride far and near
To round up the cattle and rope a wild steer.
Then I tie up my horse (and I feed him, of course!).

Yippi-yi! Now I’m going. . . .
I jump in a boat,
And away I go rowing.
Now I’m a fisherman
Out on the sea,
Where there’s nothing but water
And fishes – and me!
Riding a wave
I see something afloat.
It’s a whale come to visit-
He’s rocking my boat!
Then whoosh! comes a wave,
And it gives me a smack . . .

And I call to my daddy,
“Hello there, Im back!”
“Just in time for a snack,”
Says my daddy.
And then . . .
Off we go again!
Together, together,

(scan cuts off here)

I have a PDF with some scans of an illustrated children’s poem from my mother’s childhood [see below]. Sadly, the cover and title pages were lost long ago. The scan does not contain all of the pages. I am attaching the scans as well as a transcript of the text. It is an illustrated poem about a boy on a farm who likes to daydream about different jobs, such as a zookeeper, clown, policeman, etc. My mom read this book as a child around the mid-late 1960s / early 1970s.
I suspect (but cannot prove) this story may have some link to Western Publishing. (Western publishing was based out of Racine, Wisconsin and my family is from southeast Wisconsin.) We would love to figure out the title, author, and/or illustrator of this book!
I have reached out to various forums and the Library of Congress but no luck so far. I really appreciate the opportunity to ask the Stump the Bookseller community! If there is anything I need to do to correct of enhance my submission, please do not hesitate to let me know!

375I: My South Poem

A piece of a poem that I read in a book at the Dartmouth College Library in the late sixties contained these lines (or something close):

“I think there is a much more terrible thing. To be raised without one’s own consent In the cave of the mind. Like a faded fish. And to go as assuredly blind in the soul. As a Saint”
I think the poem was titled “My South”, I don’t remember the author.

375D: Poetry Anthology Including “If” (Solved!)

I am looking for what I think is an anthology of poetry, illustrated, that contains an extremely cleverly illustrated version of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”. Black and white line drawings I believe. I remember seeing it in a bookstore in Ithaca circa 2012 it might have been newly published then. There were other poems in the book, possibly also short stories? And authors besides Kipling?

373O: Primer featuring a little fairy/brownie

I am looking for a copy of the first book I ever read (I have been looking for it since 1995 without success). What I remember is:
– I was born in 1960 and started reading in 1963. We were poor and the only books we had were from my father (born in 1940) so the book would have been 1920-1940s for when he went to school in 1945.
– I remember the color of the book had a dark sandy brown cover and had the words “first primer” or “young reader” on the cover. Primer figured prominently on the cover and/or title page but I cannot remember the exact wording. I think there was a square illustration on the cover but am not sure.
– There were stories, poems, and I think a musical score at the center of the book. The main story involved a little brownie (fairy/sprite) with a red cap, with squirrels for friends/neighbors. The illustrations were only two to three colors, red and brown primarily.
– I have been looking for this book for approximately 30 years. off and on, without success. Other books in the similar time frames come close but they are not the one. The closest ones in style, illustration, and structure are The Work-Play Books Make and Make Believe by Gates and Huber and The Children’s Own Readers Book Two by Ginn and Co. circa 1920s.
I grew up in Norwalk, CT in the 60’s if that helps in any way.

372Q: 1940s classy children’s anthology

I’m trying to find a much-loved book given to a relative around 1948 (in England, so presumably a UK publisher).

It’s an anthology of stories and poems for children, clearly by someone who loved literature and didn’t want to look down on children or preach to them. It included things like Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” and the Chinese folktale “Blue Rose”, and had illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley (obviously not done for the book as he was long dead).

The book is hardback with a leaf-green cover, and fairly large.

371X: If I had a pony

I’m hoping you can help me find a book my grandmother used to read me. I believe it was called ‘If I Had A Pony’ it was a long thin rhyming book. A line from the book was, If I Had a Pony I’d name him baloney…but we do have a turtle and his name is Fred. I know that’s not a lot to go on. Thank you for your help. Have a wonderful day, 

371O: Children’s book about boy who writes poems outside on a typewriter

Looking for a children’s picture book we read at our local library about 2-3 years ago about boy (maybe called max) who sells/gives poems out on the sidewalk (maybe at a stand?). Kids pass him on the street and ask for poems. One is about buttons and repeats the word multiple times, like, buttons on your buttons buttons, one is about seashells after a friend is headed to the beach, one is about kittens because someone is giving them away and the last one is a gift for his sister whose birthday it is the next day.

367X: Family takes an elevator underground – whistle if you get lost

The book I’m looking for is as follows:

Children’s book   – from the UK
I read it in the UK when i was a kid in the 1970s

It was illustrated but with line drawings – was for older kids, maybe 7/8 and up?
There was a story in it about a family who takes an elevator down into the ground, and they whistle to each other if they get lost.
It was a collection of stories for kids. 

It might have also had poetry in it
This story has haunted me for years, no idea if it will ring a bell with someone somewhere

360R: I hate the dope that thought up soap

When I was a child in the late 90’s there was a book of I think children’s rhymes in my grandmother’s house in North Carolina that she used to read to me. I think it was already an old book at that time, possibly from her years as a teacher or from my father’s childhood.   It had the phrase “I hate the dope who thought up soap.” And something like “I wish he’d eat it!”   Something along those lines. I’ve googled this phrase and found only the books by Megan McDonald, but those were published starting in 2000 so are too recent to be what I’m thinking of.  Help please?