The Tiny Picture Book

Excerpt

APPLES so round, and bright, and red—
O, how I love to see;
They look so tempting as they hang
Upon the green old tree.

A naughty boy once tried to steal
From off his neighbor's bough;
But sad to hear, adown he fell,
And is a cripple now.

BOYS oftentimes are rough and rude,
And join in wicked play;
But hoop and top, and bat and ball,
Are better any day.

"Hark! hark! I hear a tinkling bell;
It calleth me to school."
Run, run! my boy, and study well;
Keep strictly every rule.

CAREFUL be of poor old puss,
She catcheth all the mice:
If any rat appears in sight,
She chases in a trice.

And then she comes and sits her down,
And washes all her fur;
How kind and loving doth she look—
How pleasant doth she purr.

DOGS are so faithful, kind, and true,
We ought to treat them well;
My little Johnny had a dog,
Of which I wish to tell.

Now little John was at his play
Beside the river's brink—
Plash! in he fell! Good Rover ran,
And would not let him sink.

EGGS are most useful to mamma;
She says she could not make,
Without the help of new-laid eggs,
Good pudding or nice cake.

I'm sure the hens are very kind
To lay for us some eggs;
O, do not stone or tease them so,
You'll break their little legs.

FROGS! frogs! I hear their merry croak
From river, pond, and stream;
O, now I know that Spring has come,
And all will soon be green.

Who would not sing in sweet spring-time,
The time of song and flowers?
Dear children, youth is your spring-time;
Improve its precious hours.

GIRLS should be gentle, soft, and mild;
Never be rough and rude;
It always makes a happy home,
Where little girls are good.

And they should love sweet Jesus, too;
His blessed laws obey;
At morning's light, at evening's shade,
For his kind blessing pray.

HIVES are the homes of little bees,
And when the day is fair,
In busy haste they sally forth
Into the sunny air,

To gather honey from the flowers,
And bear it to the hive.
Buzz—buzz—work—work—the livelong day;
O, how the busy thrive!

"IBEX! what is an Ibex, pa?"
Said little John, one day;
"A strange and funny animal,
Where do they live, I pray?"

"It is a kind of goat, my son,
Whose horns are wondrous long,
They climb the rough and snowy Alps,
With nimble feet and strong."

JUGS that we use are chiefly made
Of stone or earthen ware;
We find them very useful, and
Must handle them with care.

But jugs are sometimes used by men,
To hold their rum or gin—
These are temptations, children dear;
Pray to be kept from sin.

KEGS, too, so useful in their way,
Are tightly made of wood;
We pack our butter and our lard
In kegs to keep them good.

Their form is homely—but if clean,
They very useful are;
The meanest household article,
Requires the nicest care.

LAMB—pretty, little, quiet lamb,
So gentle and so mild;
O, do not be afraid of me,
I'm but a little child.

O, may I be of that dear flock,
Of which the Saviour told;
Within the pastures of his love,
He keeps his precious fold.

MELONS do in the garden grow,
And very fine are they;
Cool and refreshing to the taste,
Upon a summer's day....