Better Botter is a tough tongue-twister that was originally written in 1899 by American poet Carolyn Wells. It was initially titled “the Butter Betty Bought” and over the coming decades, it was added to the Mother Goose collection of nursery rhymes. The rhyme is particularly difficult to say due to its use of alliteration, which …
Three Blind Mice is a traditional nursery rhyme that first appeared in children’s literature in the 17th century. It was composed by Thomas Ravenscroft sometime around 1609. Although there is no definitive proof as to the original inspiration for the nursery rhyme, Three Blind Mice, some propose it is a statement concerning England’s Queen Mary …
Pat a Cake is one of the most popular nursery rhymes and clapping games along with Miss Mary Mack and Miss Susie Had a Steamboat.Sometimes, Pat a Cake is known for its variation, Pat it and prick it and mark it with B, And put it in the oven for baby and me.This is a …
London Bridge is Falling Down is one of the most popular nursery rhymes. It’s possible that this rhyme and the game associated with it, dates back as far as the fourteenth century, and versions of it are found all over Europe. Some theorize that it refers to the destruction of London Bridge in the eleventh …
There is a theory that Miss Muffet was Patience, the daughter of Dr. Thomas Muffet, a 16th-century entomologist. He had written a work in verse entitled ‘The Silkworms and Their Flies’ and was known as a man whose ‘admiration for spiders has never been surpassed.’ The tuffet she sat upon was probably a small mound …
Little Bo Peep is one of the best-known of all nursery rhymes. There are two conflicting stories about the origins of Little Bo Peep. One says that Bo Peep may refer to the popular game peekaboo, in which a baby’s head is covered for a moment and then uncovered quickly. This has been recorded as …
Jack and Jill is an old nursery rhyme from England. There are several possible origins for this popular nursery rhyme. One is that it is very ancient and has roots in the mythology of Scandinavia. In his 1947 book ‘Myth & Ritual,’ Lewis Spence suggests that there may be an ancient ritual associated with the …
Humpty Dumpty is a very old rhyme and is known throughout Europe in very much the same form. Most people associate Humpty Dumpty with an egg but it’s possible however that it refers to a powerful cannon used during the English Civil War (1642-49). It was mounted on top of the St.Marys at the Wall …
Hot Cross Buns was first a cry that later evolved into a nursery rhyme as it was passed down between generations of kids and adults. This cry was heard on Good Fridays when these sacred, spicy buns were sold and eaten. It was first mentioned in 1733, in Poor Robin’s Almanac when it was slightly …
Like many poems and nursery rhymes, Hickory Dickory Dock tries to imitate a particular sound, in this case the ticking of a clock. It was used in the 18th and 19th century extensively by children to decide who would start a game. It was first published in 1744 under the name of “Hickere, Dickere Dock”, …
