An Apple Pie, When It Looks Nice Lyrics
A clever request. The pie looks good, it probably tastes good, and one slice will never be enough, so, to save asking twice: please, mamma, make it a big one.
An Apple Pie, When It Looks Nice
An apple pie, when it looks nice,
Would make one long to have a slice,
But if the taste should prove so, too,
I fear one slice would scarcely do.
So to prevent my asking twice,
Pray, mamma, cut a good large slice.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/an-apple-pie-when-it-looks-nice/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 2 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| An apple pie | Draw a big circle in the air. |
| To have a slice | Cut a wedge in the air with one hand. |
| Cut a good large slice | Spread your hands wide apart. |
What Does An Apple Pie, When It Looks Nice Mean?
The speaker builds a careful argument. The pie looks nice, so they want some. If it tastes as good as it looks, one slice will not be enough. So rather than come back and ask a second time, the sensible thing is for mamma to cut a good large slice straight away. It is a polite way of being greedy, and children usually spot the trick at once.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in National Rhymes of the Nursery. Apple pie turns up again and again in old nursery books, from A Was an Apple Pie to Little Jack Horner's Christmas pie.
Learning Activities
- Pie fractions: cut a paper pie into halves, quarters and eighths, and compare the slices.
- Polite asking: practice asking for something nicely, then make the rhyme's clever argument.
- Bake together: make a small apple pie or apple crumble.