The Poems of Alan Alexander Milne

Jonathan Jo

Has a mouth like an "O"

And a wheelbarrow full of surprises;

If you ask for a bat,

Or for something like that,

He has got it, whatever the size is.

If you're wanting a ball

It's no trouble at all;

Why, the more that you ask for, the merrier––

Like a hoop and a top,

And a watch that won't stop,

And some sweets, and an Aberdeen terrier.

Jonathan Jo has a mouth like an "O"

But this is what makes him so funny:

If you give him a smile,

Only once in a while,

Then he never expects any money!

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Some of my strongest childhood memories include the poems of English writer A.A. Milne (1882-1956). I can still hear my dad's voice reciting "Lines and Squares," "Disobedience," and "Jonathan Jo" and my mom's voice in "The King's Breakfast" and "The End." I'm sure I say them to my children now with the exact intonation my parents once spoke them to me. Many other Milne poems adorned my childhood in some way or another (e.g. King's Singers albums, Muppets sketches...).

Best known for his stories about the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood, A.A. Milne's poems are absolutely not to be missed. I never tire of them. Based on my memories of childhood and observations of my own little boys, I think he thoroughly understand the workings of a child's mind and heart (in fact, for this reason, all adults should read them). Ernest Shepard's accompanying "decorations" are equally charming. Whether or not you have children at home, the poetry books When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six are worthy additions to precious bookshelf space.

Call any nearby children to your knee right now and enjoy a few of my favorites together. If you are alone, no matter. You might be pleased to catch a glimpse of yourself in some of these words.

Market Square

I had a penny,
A bright new penny,
I took my penny
To the market square.
I wanted a rabbit,
A little brown rabbit,
And I looked for a rabbit
'Most everywhere.

For I went to the stall where they sold sweet lavender.
("Only a penny for a bunch of lavender!")
"Have you got a rabbit, 'cos I don't want lavender?"
But they hadn't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I had a penny,
And I had another penny,
I took my pennies
To the market square.
I did want a rabbit,
A little baby rabbit,
And I looked for rabbits
'Most everywhere.

And I went to the stall where they sold fresh mackerel.
("Now then! Tuppence for a fresh-caught mackerel!")
"Have you got a rabbit, 'cos I don't like mackerel?"
But they hadn't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I found a sixpence
A little white sixpence.
I took it in my hand
To the market square.
I was buying my rabbit
(I do like rabbits)
And I looked for my rabbit
'Most everywhere.

So I went to the stall where they sold fine saucepans.
("Walk up, walk up, sixpence for a saucepan!")
"Could I have a rabbit, 'cos we've got two saucepans?"
But they hadn't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

I had nuffin',
No, I hadn't got nuffin',
So I didn't go down
To the market square;
But I walked on the common,
The old-gold common . . .
And I saw little rabbits
'Most everywhere!

So I'm sorry for the people who sell fine saucepans,
I'm sorry for the people who sell fresh mackerel,
I'm sorry for the people who sell sweet lavender,
'Cos they haven't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.


Happiness

John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh––
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.


Come Out with Me

There's sun on the river and sun on the hill . . .
You can hear the sea if you stand quite still!
There's eight new puppies at Roundabout Farm––
And I saw an old sailor with only one arm!

But every one says, "Run along!"
(Run along, run along!)
All of them say, "Run along! I'm busy as can be."
Every one says, "Run along,
There's a little darling!"
If I'm a little darling, why don't they run with me?

There's wind on the river and wind on the hill . . .
There's a dark dead water-wheel under the mill!
I saw a fly which had just been drowned––
And I know where a rabbit goes into the ground!

But every one says, "Run along!"
(Run along, run along!)
All of them say, "Yes dear," and never notice me.
Every one says, "Run along,
There's a little darling!"
If I'm a little darling, why won't they come and see?


Knights-in-Armor

Whenever I'm a shining Knight,
I buckle on my armor tight;
And then I look about for things,
Like Rushings-Out, and Rescuings,
And Savings from the Dragon's Lair,
And fighting all the Dragons there.
And sometimes when our fights begin,
I think I'll let the Dragons win . . .
And then I think perhaps I won't,
Because they're Dragons, and I don't.


The Engineer

Let it rain!
Who cares?
I've a train
Upstairs,
With a brake
Which I make
From a string
Sort of thing,
Which works
In jerks,
'Cos it drops
In the spring,
Which stops
With the string
And the wheels
All stick
So quick
That it feels
Like a thing
That you make
With a brake,
Not string . . .

So that's what I make,
When the day's all wet.
It's a good sort of brake
But it hasn't worked yet.

Vespers

Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

God bless Mummy. I know that's right.
Wasn't it fun in the bath tonight?
The cold's so cold, and the hot's so hot.
Oh! God bless Daddy––I quite forgot.

If I open my fingers a little bit more,
I can see Nanny's dressing-gown on the door.
It's a beautiful blue, but it hasn't a hood.
Oh! God bless Nanny and make her good.

Mine has a hood, and I lie in bed,
And I pull the hood right over my head,
And I shut my eyes, and I curl up small,
And nobody knows that I'm there at all.

Oh! Thank you, God, for a lovely day.
And what was the other I had to say?
I said, "Bless Daddy," so what can it be?
Oh! Now I remember. God bless Me.

Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

Do you have a favorite you'd like to share?
What other children's poets do you love?