If a Mouse Could Fly Lyrics
Three impossible wishes: a mouse that could fly, a crow that could swim and a sprat that could walk and talk. The first verse wishes, and the second asks what would happen next, then stops without an answer.
If a Mouse Could Fly
If a mouse could fly,
Or if a crow could swim,
Or if a sprat could walk and talk,
I'd like to be like him.
If a mouse could fly,
He might fly away;
Or if a crow could swim,
It might turn him grey;
Or if a sprat could walk and talk,
What would he find to say?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/if-a-mouse-could-fly/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Wondering and a little cheeky, with a small pause before each Or if
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does If a Mouse Could Fly Mean?
The poem is built from three pairs of impossible things. A mouse cannot fly, a crow does not swim and a sprat, a small sea fish, has no legs to walk on and no voice to talk with. The first verse simply wishes for them, and ends with the speaker saying they would like to be like him, the one who could do the impossible thing.
The second verse is the clever part. It takes each wish one step further and asks what would follow: the flying mouse might fly away, the swimming crow might turn grey, and the talking sprat would need something to say. The poem gives no answers. A crow is black, so grey is a real change, but no reason is given for why swimming would cause it, which leaves room for a child to decide. Away, grey and say rhyme in the second verse, and swim rhymes with him in the first.
History and Origin
Christina Rossetti put the poem in Sing-Song, her book of verses for the nursery, which was first published in 1872. It is one of the playful nonsense poems among the quieter ones about flowers, weather and birds.
Learning Activities
- Finish the poem: ask what the sprat would find to say, and write down the answer exactly as the child gives it.
- Swap the wish: draw a mouse with wings, a crow in a pond and a fish in boots, and talk about which picture is funniest.
- Why grey? let each child offer a reason the crow might turn grey after swimming, and vote on the best one.
- Try a verse of your own: start with If a cat could, and add one thing that might happen next.