Merry Words for Merry Children

This lively collection of humorous verse invites young listeners into a world where children’s dreams take surprising turns and animals behave with wonderfully human mischief. In “Jim’s Dream,” a boy who adores clowns finds himself managing a troupe of reluctant geese, with bright costumes, absurd performances, and a lesson about kindness hidden beneath the comedy.

Elsewhere, frogs, rabbits, greyhounds, and cats meet on bicycles for an extraordinary race, while serious-looking pug umpires attempt to keep order. The poems are filled with playful rhymes, fanciful situations, lively dialogue, and comic misunderstandings, making them well suited to reading aloud or sharing at story time. Alongside the silliness are gentle reminders about treating others thoughtfully, listening to their protests, and not taking rules—or oneself—too seriously. Children who enjoy talking animals, impossible contests, and cheerful nonsense will find plenty here to amuse them.