Mrs. Pussy's Dinner Lyrics
Mrs. Pussy and her four kittens wake to a noise, look for a mouse and then some swallows, and go home hungry to find dinner waiting on a plate.
Mrs. Pussy's Dinner
Mrs. Pussy, sleek and fat,
With her kittens four,
Went to sleep upon the mat
By the kitchen door.
Mrs. Pussy heard a noise,
Up she jumped in glee:
"Kittens, maybe that's a mouse!
Let us go and see!"
Creeping, creeping, creeping on,
Silently they stole;
But the little mouse had gone
Back within its hole.
"Well," said Mrs. Pussy then,
"To the barn we'll go;
We shall find the swallow there
Flying to and fro."
So the cat and kittens four
Tried their very best;
But the swallows flying fast
Safely reached the nest!
Home went hungry Mrs. Puss
And her kittens four;
Found their dinner on a plate
By the kitchen door.
As they gathered round the plate,
They agreed 'twas nice
That it could not run away
Like the birds and mice!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/mrs-pussys-dinner/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Action Songs
- Written by
- Emilie Poulsson
- Tune
- Finger play, spoken or sung
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Mrs. Pussy, sleek and fat | Make a fist with your thumb up for Mrs. Pussy. |
| With her kittens four | Hold up four fingers of your other hand. |
| Creeping, creeping, creeping on | Walk the fingers of one hand along with the palm down. |
| To the barn we'll go | Raise both arms and touch your fingertips like a barn roof. |
| Found their dinner on a plate | Join your thumbs and index fingers to make a plate. |
What Does Mrs. Pussy's Dinner Mean?
Mrs. Pussy is sleek and fat and asleep on the mat with her four kittens when she hears a noise. She jumps up, thinks it may be a mouse, and creeps off with the kittens, but the mouse has gone back into its hole. Next they try the barn, hoping to catch a swallow, but the swallows fly fast and reach their nest safely.
The cat family goes home hungry and finds dinner waiting on a plate. They agree it is nice that this dinner cannot run away like the birds and mice, which is the joke at the end.
History and Origin
Emilie Poulsson wrote the words, and the poem is printed in Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten (1889) with music by C. C. Roeske. The book gives a hand movement for each picture in the story, from the fist that is Mrs. Pussy to the circle of fingers that makes the plate.
The poem has seven verses of four lines each, twenty-eight lines in all.
Learning Activities
- Finger story: act out the poem with the hand movements, one for each picture.
- Creep and stop: creep like a cat across the room and freeze when you hear a noise.
- Draw the barn: draw the barn with swallows' nests under the roof.
- Pet talk: talk about what pet cats eat and who gives them their dinner.