Verdigris Patina

Monday, November 13, 2006

Rhymes To Remember

These are seven poems made for children from the book Eat, Drink and Grow Clever by Annia Broomhall Cunning which we added to our library this past October. The book says that "On their birthdays the children [of a doctor] would ask for a verse to be written in their autograph books."

If you would be full of beans,
You must eat up all your greens:
Then with joy you'll laugh and shout
Cabbage, spinach, brussel sprout!

If you would be full of pep,
Eat live food and mind your step;
Dance down life's smooth lane with joy,
Carrot, turnip, and savoy!

If you'd have teeth pearly white,
You must bite and bite and bite,
Crusts and nuts and raw sweet roots,
Apples, pears and other fruits.

If you would have eyes as bright
As the stars that shine at night,
From sun-kissed fruits your meals prepare,
Seek out sunshine everywhere.

If you would have skin as clear
As the day without a tear,
You ust drink fruit juice and water
Sweet with treacle, little daughter.

If you would have muscles strong
To win the high jump and the long,
You must take salt with your porridge,
That's the secret. That's real knowledge!

If you would have marks as high
As the planes that fly the sky,
You must eat the whole wheat grain,
That's the stuff to feed the brain!

The book goes on to say, "You want the children to be clever and to do great things int he world; then it is wise to study their food and their drinks."

I couldn't agree more.

Posted by Krystal :: 10:02 AM ::