Nursery rhymes for our times

Sing a Song of Sixpence, Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall, Incy Wincy got stuck in a web and gave Jack Horner a call. Little Bo Peep, who had lost her sheep, shouted to Jack and Jill. They heard Little Boy Blue blow his horn as he went up the hill. Three Blind Mice scurried past a marching Grand Old Duke of York. What a surprise when, from out of the skies, Dumbo arrived, courtesy of the stork. Old Mother Hubbard looked in the cupboard and found Mary had left a lamb, Oranges and lemons said the bells of St Clement’s, the Queen of Hearts had run out of jam. Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker’s man baked a cake as fast as he could, Pinocchio’s nose just grows and grows — is it really made from wood? Mary, Mary Quite Contrary couldn’t get her garden to grow. Twinkle, twinkle little star shone brightly and put on a stellar show. Old Macdonald had a farm with worms that wriggled and wriggled. The Cow jumped over the Moon, while the Dish and the Spoon just giggled. The wheels on the bus spent the entire day just going round and round. Two little dickie birds — Peter and Paul — flew away and were never found. Ten green bottles smashed to smithereens and gave everyone a fright. There were ten in the bed and the little one rolled over and said: ‘Night, night.’ Lynn Strickland, Douglas, Isle of Man.