Cecily Parsley’s Selected Rhymes

Are your little ones strangers to Beatrix Potter? Perhaps they have only gone so far as Peter Rabbit’s misadventures. Here is a little dose of her charming rhymes, beautifully accompanied by her much-imitated paintings. I have selected a few parts from Cecily Parsley’s Nursery Rhymes for your enjoyment today. This little book was published nearly 92 years ago. I hope your littles find them as warm and sweet as we do. Of course, we are rather fond of personified animals around here. (Especially rabbits!) –Sam

__________________________

__________________________

Cecily Parsley lived in a pen,
And brewed good ale for gentlemen;

Gentlemen came every day,
Till Cecily Parsley ran away.

__________________________

Goosey, goosey, gander,
Whither will you wander?
Upstairs and downstairs,
And in my lady’s chamber!

__________________________

This pig went to market;
This pig stayed at home;

This pig had a bit of meat;

And this pig had none;

This little pig cried
Wee! wee! wee!
I can’t find my way home.

__________________________

Three blind mice, three blind mice,

See how they run!
They all run after the farmer’s wife,
And she cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life
As three blind mice!

__________________________

We have a little garden,
A garden of our own,
And every day we water there
The seeds that we have sown.

We love our little garden,
And tend it with such care,
You will not find a faded leaf
Or blighted blossom there.

__________________________

• Author
• Recent Posts

S. D. Smith

S. D. Smith is an author, a lover of chocolate chip cookies, and a founder of Story Warren. Sam was born and raised in West Virginia, lived in South Africa as a teenager, and returned to West Virginia for his (so-far) extensive adulthood. Sam and his beloved wife, Gina, have four children, two of whom have embarked on adulthood themselves. It was at their home in the Appalachian hills where he told his children many stories, including some featuring heroic rabbits with swords. These later became the Green Ember Series, a now-popular work of moral imagination that has delighted millions around the globe. Sam is a devoted Christian, a lifelong Mountaineer fan, and an enthusiast of sports, books, and humorous things.

Latest posts by S. D. Smith (see all)

• Why Imagination Matters—and You Need Allies - October 13, 2025
• Explain Up, Don’t Dumb Down: Why Little Kids Need Big Words - July 23, 2025
• Make Believe Makes Believers - July 19, 2021