Lullaby

Beyond the cheering children 

Moon cheers

Beyond the twinkling apple 

Moon twinks 

Beyond the sleeping stars 

Moon sleeps

Beyond the sleepy ‘your name here’ 

Moon sleeps

Night is such a good friend!

Sad Jack

There was a man named

Sad sack Jack

When he walked his feet clacked

He said "I don't like my shoes they leave a track"

He didn't like anyone

Pftf! this one is short

Pftt! this one is stupid

Pftt! this one is poor

He didn't like anything

blue

true

flue

Sad sack, sad Jack, chicken Jack quacked

Quacked quacked quacked

Ooo he said, I am so rich. How to count my gold, quack?

Ooo he said, my house is so big. How to keep it clean, quack?

Ooo he said, I am so pretty. How to let anyone kiss, quack?

Sad Jack, sad sack, sour faced Jack

Jack Jack Jack

Never thanked his kind valet

Never cleaned his blond toupee

Never shared toys nor smiled a day

Until that doomsday!

And

An elephant trampled his wall

O zut!

He lost his gold

O zut!

His house all burnt black

O zut!

His face fire engine red

O zut!

His head flat

A railhead

He was beguiled, beguiiiiiled 

A delirious child!

Then

Sad Jack, silly Jack never ever stopped

Could Not stop

To smile and fart and smiiiiile and faaaart 

quack quack 

(O zut alors!!!)

IllustrationandChildren'spoemSadSackJack©2010BabetteandFriends

Mr Donkey and His Key

Mr Donkey

Loves tea

He brays

"May I pleeeease have teaaaaa"

"With thrrree sugarrrs and one peeeaaa"

Donkeys are funny

Don't you agree?

Who drinks tea with pea ?

Who has rabbit’s ears ?

Who has dog’s nose ?

Who has horse’s hoof ?

Mr Donkey of course

Donkeys are funny!

Mr Donkey's name is Dony

He is a swanky donkey

Ties a blue tie

Wears a hat

Goes to restaurant

Eats eight pies

All for a dollar then brays in glee

And sips his tea

Some days Donkey Dony 

Plays with the goat

flirts with the cat

Somedays Donkey Dony is sleepy

Just before he leaves home

He looses his key

He brays " where is my key, wheeeeere iiiiis myyyy keeeey?"

Then he looks

Up and down the chicken coop

Left and right the stable

Searches in and out of rooms

But no key!

Then it gets late

Then it gets dark

He can't go out

Donkey Dony brays

"Ooo, toooo laaattte!"

"Tomorrow is anooooother daate"

Sleeps in his hay bed

While

The key hides

Under his hay bed...

MrDonkeyandHisKey-story and illustration©2010Babetteandfriends

Ants and Blue jay

The Ant School

In a tiny hole,
by a tiny house,
in a little tree,
lived an ant colony.

Carpenter ants,
plump ants,
brooder ants,
in all colors and shapes.

Little Jim Ant wanted to help.
While other ants whined,
he grabbed crumbs too grand—
and soon flipped onto his back.

Mama Ant said,

“Jim, you are kind,
but you are too young and slim.
Child ants should not work in the fields—
it is grim.

What we need is a school—
with a gym!”

Mama Ants and Papa Ants
met upon the hill.

“Oh! What a good idea—
a school! What a thrill!”

“But winter is upon us,”
said one Papa Ant.
“Who is going to pay the bills?”

“True! True!”

“Hear! Hear!”

shrilled some ants,
and the meeting was done.

“Oh, no! Is this the end?
Don’t ants have any friends?
Friends who could lend them
a helping hand?”

Mama Ants and Papa Ants
worked night and day.

“Maybe we can stash enough
before snow and cold descend.”

High up in the tree,
Blue Jays prepared for winter.

They watched the ants
hurrying crumbs—
night and day, without a break.

“We will help,”
the Blue Jays said.

“Go on, build your school.
We’ll deal with your crumbs.”

Isn’t it nice?

A world of peace,
where creatures love and give
just because they can.

The ants got their tools and tractors
and built a beautiful school,
with many rooms,
and many books.

In the meantime,
all summer long,
Blue Jays flew back and forth,
stashing crumbs away.

Finally, food was stacked high,
and the school was nice and warm.

They were prepared in time
for the cold winter.

But remember:

Fall arrives after summer,
spring arrives after winter,
just like clockwork!

Life is beautiful,
nature colorful,
and all so grand.

AntsandBlueJaysStory©Babetteandfriends

IllustrationAntsandBlueJays@Babetteandfriends

@YankaErimtan

All rights reserved

Babette and The Bent Apple Tree

Illustration©2010Babetteandfriends

A beautiful apple tree

Still flowering but, all bent

Like the letter n

Bloomed on the hill top.

Babette being a curious pup

Decided to climb up

And ask how she came to be

Such a bent up apple tree.

On her way up the mountain

She met the gardner Mr. Anton

Asked him if he knew

How the apple tree came to be

Such a bent up tree.

Mr Anton had a belly laugh

Ha ha ha he always laughed.

"Naughty children of course! They did it"

He said continuing his joyful laugh.

"Children pulled down her branches and never stopped

Climbed up and swung, hopped and dropped

So, the tree got bent. What else could she do but, stoop at the end?

Babette said

"O, is that so?"

She continued her walk

Towards the hill top.

By the stream she met little bluejay

Happily washing his wing and drinking from the stream

"Tweets to you Babette

Where are you trotting like a horse

So early in the morning?"

"I am going up the hilltop

To ask the Bent Apple tree

How she got her shape

Like the letter n"

"O"

Said little Blue jay.

"My grandmother told me

How Bent Apple tree got her bent

Like the letter n.

Let me tell you :

Many many many years ago

When this very apple tree

Was a very young apple tree

On a very very very rainy night

A terrible wind was blowing hard

There was a mother bird and her baby chicks

Nesting on this very apple tree.

That night of the storm

Poor bird's nest was hanging from a thread

About to be swept away, o what dread!

Little chicks chirp chirped hither and thither

Mother bird fluttered titter jitter

But, Apple tree said:

"Do not shed one more tear,I will save ye!

Then bowed her branches and bent like a snake

Held the nest between her tree fingers like a cradle

Crouching and bowing against its blows

Bravely fought against the mighty wind

Finally she did save all the chicks

But, she remained forever bent

After that rainy stormy night."

"O" said Babette " is that so?"

She continued her walk

Up the hill top

To ask the Bent Apple tree

How she got her bent.

When she finally arrived by the tree

She met Mr O'Chip the chipmunk

"O, hello Babette what a surprise" he said.

"What are you doing up, so far from home at the hill top?"

Babette now a little tired

From climbing up

Said "I came to find out

How the Bent Apple tree

Came to be such a bent tree."

"O, We chipmunks know how she came to be so bent" said Mr O' Chip.

"Long long long longtime ago

Our ancestors had a terrible king: Chippy The Terrible.

He did not have a red tail

So, he ordered all chipmunks with red tails

To be banished from Chip Kingdom.

Of course, red tailed chips were not happy

To be exiled by the foolish king for having red tails.

They formed their own chip army.

A terrible walnut war ensued

Between "Have reds"

And "Without the reds".

Wars are terrible things

Walnuts are thrown

Back and forth

From one camp to the other.

Houses are destroyed,

Branches are broken

Little chips cry and get lost!

That is how

Apple tree's branch got

Permanently damaged in the Red Tail War.

She got that slant

And forever remained bent."

"O" said Babette

Is that so?"

"Now that I am near

I will ask the Bent Apple Tree herself

How she got her Bent."

They suddenly heard a laugh

A strange mixture of a laugh

Giggly monkey laugh

And a hollow elephant's snort.

It was the Bent Apple Tree's laugh!

"Well hello Babette

You want to ask me

How I got my slouch?

You walked all the way up here to ask me that?"

"O" said Babette

You are a unique tree crowned

There are none with your bent

You make a perfect n.

With flowers

Our hill's bestower

Come spring

You are a beautiful ring!

I came to inquire

How you came to acquire

Such a marvelous bent."

"Let me tell you then" said the bent Apple tree:

The gardner is right.

Kids played on my branches.

But, they never hurt me!

They never pulled out my leaves and my blooming flowers

They were careful never to break my branches.

I loved happy and sweet children swinging from my branches"

"Blue jay is also right. I did my best

To save many nests

Helped little chicks

Cuddled them in my leaves

I bent and bowed my branches

To keep them from crushing away in terrible storms"

"I remember the king, Terrible Chippy

His Red Tail War and the walnuts

That hit against my belly.

O,Those were terrible times

When chips waged war against their brother chips

Because of a vain and foolish king!

All chips suffer for no reason!

In the mean time they broke

Few of my branches"

" But, none and all are true and bent me!

I lived a full tree life with many leaves met many, like you Babette!

Kids, dogs, cats and goats

Owls,chipmunks and ants

Butterflies caterpillars

O but,thankfully not a lumberjack !"

"I am bent

Because I am old

That is all.

I am shaped

Like the letter n

Because I have lived long

Time bends us all."

BentAppleTreeStory©2010YankaErimtan-Babetteandfriends