The Robin and the Squirrel Lyrics
A robin and a squirrel meet and greet each other with how d'you do and how are you. In the first verse one of them brags of cherry pies, flies and a kettle of beetles on to stew. In the second, the greetings swap and the other brags of a neat nest and a wife that can't be beat.
The Robin and the Squirrel
Said the Robin to the Squirrel,
"How d' you do?"
Said the Squirrel to the Robin,
"How are you?"
"Oh, I've got some cherry pies,
And a half a dozen flies,
And a kettle full of beetles on to stew."
Said the Squirrel to the Robin,
"How d' you do?"
Said the Robin to the Squirrel,
"How are you?"
"I've a nest that's nice and neat,
And a wife that can't be beat,
And I'm every bit as happy now as you."
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-robin-and-the-squirrel/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Brisk and polite, like two neighbours chatting over a fence
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| "How d' you do?" | Give a small nod or bow, or shake hands with a friend. |
| And a kettle full of beetles on to stew." | Stir an imaginary big pot with both hands. |
What Does The Robin and the Squirrel Mean?
The poem is a pair of greetings with a boast after each. It begins as polite as a visit: the robin and the squirrel swap How d' you do? and How are you?. Then comes the news. In the first verse it is food, all of it silly for a robin or a squirrel to cook: cherry pies, half a dozen flies, and a kettle full of beetles on to stew, meaning set on the stove to cook. In the second verse the two swap who asks first, and the answer is about home: a nest that is nice and neat, and a wife who can't be beat, an everyday way of saying nobody is better. The poem ends content: I'm every bit as happy now as you.
It is left open which animal speaks the boasting lines, so a child can decide for themselves. The sounds do the work: do, you and stew rhyme, pies rhymes with flies, and neat rhymes with beat, so the second half of every verse has a bouncing chime.
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson wrote this poem for his 1918 Peter Patter collection of nursery rhymes.
Learning Activities
- Polite chat: practise how d' you do and how are you, with a handshake or a wave, using two toy animals.
- Boast list: take turns saying what you have, starting I've got, in the style of the poem, and finish with a rhyme.
- Pretend kitchen: set up a pot and spoon and stir an imaginary stew, naming what goes in.
- Rhyme match: find the pairs that rhyme: pies and flies, neat and beat, do and you.