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The Dumpy Books for Children.
XI. Little People.
The Dumpy Books for
Children.
Cloth, Royal 32mo, 1/6 each.
I. THE FLAMP, THE AMELIORATOR, AND
THE SCHOOLBOY'S APPRENTICE. By
E. V. Lucas. (Seventh Thousand.)
II. MRS. TURNER'S CAUTIONARY STORIES.
(Fifth Thousand.)
III. THE BAD FAMILY. By Mrs. Fenwick.
(Third Thousand.)
IV. THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO.
Illustrated in Colours. By Helen Bannerman.
(Thirty-seventh Thousand.)
V. THE BOUNTIFUL LADY. By Thomas
Cobb. (Fourth Thousand.)
VI. A CAT BOOK. Portraits by H. Officer
Smith. Characteristics by E. V. Lucas.
(Eighth Thousand.)
VII. A FLOWER BOOK. Illustrated in Colours
by Nellie Benson. Story by Eden
Coybee. (Eighth Thousand.)
VIII. THE PINK KNIGHT. Illustrated in Colours
by J. R. Monsell. (Eighth Thousand.)
IX. THE LITTLE CLOWN. By Thomas Cobb.
X. A HORSE BOOK. By Mary Tourtel.
Illustrated in Colours. (Eighth Thousand.)
XI. LITTLE PEOPLE: An Alphabet. By
Henry Mayer. Verses by T. W. H.
Crosland. Illustrated in Colours.
LONDON: GRANT RICHARDS,
9, Henrietta Street, W.C.
LITTLE PEOPLE:
An Alphabet.
PICTURES
BY
HENRY MAYER.
VERSES
BY
T. W. H. CROSLAND.
London:
GRANT RICHARDS,
1901.
Contents.
A for Arab.
Look at his pretty shield and spear.
He's stuck two pistols in his sash,
And, dear me, how his eyes do flash!
To "scour the desert" is his pride.
His horse is of the purest breed;
Some people call his horse a steed.
B for Boer.
Of course, you've heard of him before;
He has a naughty Uncle Paul,
Who used to want to eat us all.
He's just as white as you or I,
And just as fond of cake and fruit;
The difference is that he can shoot.
C for Chinaboy.
And yet he's not a Chinaman;
In fact, he is his mother's joy,
A merry little Chinaboy.
His father's name is Loo Too Sin.
They put no sugar in his tea,
Yet he's as good as good can be.
D for Dutch.
In Holland there are many such.
Her shoes are wooden, like the floor;
How nice she keeps her pinafore!
Than the Dutch Queen, Wilhelmina;
She says that she has never seen a
Sweeter Queen than Wilhelmina.
E for English.
Sturdy of limb, honest of face;
They own (this is geography)
Much of the land and all the sea.
They never, never will be slaves.
They're brave, but do not want to fight,
And if you're English you're all right.
F for French.
They're fond of shouting "Long live France!"
They make the prettiest hats and frocks,
Also French pickles and French clocks.
And laugh a great deal when they dine.
French boys play soldiers now and then,
And must be soldiers when they're men.
G for German.
His waistcoat's red, his sunshade green.
He lives beside the river Iser,
And calls his emperor the Kaiser.
Are made for English girls and boys.
The English children merely break them;
Hans sits at home and helps to make them.
H for Hungarian.
Between ourselves, I often wish
I lived there, for it must be grand;—
I've heard the Blue Hungarian Band.
Blouses, his knickers fit him tight,
He has top boots of patent leather,
And in his hat a peacock's feather.
I for Indian.
He has no shirt, he wears a crest
Of eagle's feathers on his head,
His skin is of a coppery red.
Will run and catch a butterfly,"
The Indian boy would say, "No! No!
I wish to chase the buffalo."
J for Japanese.
Even their fathers are not tall;
They're very fond of parasols,
They dress themselves just like their dolls.
Their hair is black to match their eyes;
Their robes are black to match their hair,
And, O! what tiny shoes they wear.
K for Kaffir.
He smiles and smiles, I wonder why?
Perhaps he's playing at a game,
Or thinking of his long, long name.
Neb-u-chad-nez-zar Solomon
Sambo Snowball Timothy Jack
Adolphus Rule Britannia Black.
L for Laplander.
He lives among the snow and ice;
The reindeer drags his sledge for him,
And gives him meat and milk to skim.
He hunts the walrus and the seal.
Often, when he has time to spare,
He hunts the white or polar bear.
M for Mexican.
Rides on the pampas like a man;
His horse may kick, and plunge, and rear,
He does not feel the least bit queer.
Or a young turkey running loose,
You may be pretty certain that
He'd catch it with his lariat.
N for Neapolitan.
He plays the pipes for pence, and buys
Ice-cream and candy every day
To help him on his weary way.
He has a sheepskin for a coat,
His water-bottle's painted yellow,
He is a handsome little fellow.
O for Odalisque.
I know you want to dance and frisk
And play at hide and seek with me;
And yet, you know, it cannot be,
To put away those curious shoes,
Also your coat, and cap, and veil:
They'd hang up nicely on a nail.
P for Persian.
He often sits upon a mat;
He hears the bulbul sing, and roves
Through rose-gardens and lemon groves.
A little Persian in the street,
Do not be rude and cry "Yah-yah!"
But ask him if he's seen the Shah.
Q for Quakeress.
She is so quaint; I like her dress,
Her very, very plain white bonnet,
Her stuff gown with no trimming on it.
They peep out from her dark green shawl.
She lives on milk, and bread, and honey,
She must be saving pots of money.
R for Russian.
Its leather, and its great, white Czar.
A Russian wears his clothes quite loose,
And drinks his tea with lemon juice.
They play at marbles and run races;
The climate sometimes makes them cough,
They've names like Shuffski and Poppoff.
S for Scotch.
When they don't know, they "dinna ken."
They love the thistle, we the rose,
They're fond of oatmeal, kail, and brose.
Burns was a Scot, who, I am told,
Wrote verses and ploughed fields by turns,
So every Scot is proud of Burns.
T for Tyrolean.
And mountains, mountains everywhere;
The mountains are all tops and sides,
You climb them best with ropes and guides.
He yodels and is light of heart;
His yodelling is very sweet;
His stockings haven't any feet.
U for United States.
And houses twenty stories high,
Saw-mills and millionaires and bustle;
The people there "have got to hustle."
Ex-clu-sive-ly by telephone;
And that is why the people say,
"I guess we're 'cute in U. S. A."
V for Valencian.
In Spain. It's dusty and baked brown,
And full of dirt and mules and fleas,
And all around are orange trees.
Has been dressed very carefully;
His garments show that he's a Don,
He knows that he has got them on.
W for Welshman.
That shocking tale about the beef;
But Taffy, between me and you,
I really don't believe it's true.
And hills with sheep on them in Wales;
O Taffy, Taffy, don't be put on,
You can't want beef while you've Welsh mutton.
Z for Zany.
Who wanders idly up and down,
And wags his head, and shakes his bells,
And chortles at the tales he tells.
And keep you laughing by the hour.
Some zanies are a trifle mad:
Now we have finished—and I'm glad.
T. W. H. C.