When We Were Very Young

 

This was such a fun trip down memory lane.  My parents sent these books to Jono for Christmas 2002.  The inscription in front of this one included this sentence "May you enjoy hearing these as much as your Mom did!"   I must admit, until I started reading these to Alia a couple of weeks ago, I had forgotten about them!  I am so glad they've been rediscovered!  Alia was a bit skeptical at first ... "Mom, it's just a bunch of poems ..." she said to me the first night.  But, as we started reading, she didn't want me to stop.  We almost read the whole thing in that first sitting!  

She wanted to read some as well.  I loved that.  I loved how she tried to make the same sort of intonations as she read this beautiful poetry to me.  

I don't remember what my favorite poem from my childhood may have been but I did get a familiar warming of the heart and smile on my face when I read "The King's Breakfast" to Alia.   It goes like this ....

The King's Breakfast
The King asked
The Queen, and
The Queen asked
The Dairymaid:
"Could we have some butter for
The Royal slice of bread?"
The Queen asked the Dairymaid,
The Dairymaid
Said, "Certainly,
I'll go and tell the cow
Now
Before she goes to bed."

The Dairymaid
She curtsied,
And went and told
The Alderney:
"Don't forget the butter for
The Royal slice of bread."
The Alderney
Said sleepily:
"You'd better tell
His Majesty
That many people nowadays
Like marmalade
Instead."

The Dairymaid
Said, "Fancy!"
And went to
Her Majesty.
She curtsied to the Queen, and
She turned a little red:
"Excuse me,
Your Majesty,
For taking of
The liberty,
But marmalade is tasty, if
It's very
Thickly
Spread."

The Queen said
"Oh!:
And went to
His Majesty:
"Talking of the butter for
The royal slice of bread,
Many people
Think that
Marmalade
Is nicer.
Would you like to try a little
Marmalade
Instead?"

The King said,
"Bother!"
And then he said,
"Oh, deary me!"
The King sobbed, "Oh, deary me!"
And went back to bed.
"Nobody,"
He whimpered,
"Could call me
A fussy man;
I only want
A little bit
Of butter for
My bread!"

The Queen said,
"There, there!"
And went to
The Dairymaid.
The Dairymaid
Said, "There, there!"
And went to the shed.
The cow said,
"There, there!
I didn't really
Mean it;
Here's milk for his porringer,
And butter for his bread."

The Queen took
The butter
And brought it to
His Majesty;
The King said,
"Butter, eh?"
And bounced out of bed.
"Nobody," he said,
As he kissed her
Tenderly,
"Nobody," he said,
As he slid down the banisters,
"Nobody,
My darling,
Could call me
A fussy man -
BUT
I do like a little bit of butter to my bread!"