There Once Was a Puffin ~ by Florence Page Jaques

There Once Was a Puffin ~ by Florence Page Jaques, 1995, children's, 8/10

There Once Was a Puffin

by Florence Page Jaques

Oh, there once was a Puffin
Just the shape of a muffin,
And he lived on an island
In the bright blue sea!

He ate little fishes,
That were most delicious,
And he had them for supper
And he had them for tea.

But this poor little Puffin,
He couldn't play nothin',
For he hadn't anybody
To play with at all.

So he sat on his island,
And he cried for awhile, and
He felt very lonely,
And he felt very small.

Then along came the fishes,
And they said, "If you wishes,
You can have us for playmates,
Instead of for tea!"

So they now play together,
In all sorts of weather,
And the Puffin eats pancakes,
Like you and like me.

The words of this fun little book were apparently written decades ago.  The summary is all about the art work:  "Boldly colored pictures complement a rollicking story in rhyme about a little puffin whose fondness for fishes (he has them for supper and tea) sets the stage for an unusual friendship."  Click on YouTube video to see a two-year-old boy who knows the words after only two days.  While his daddy reads, the boy darts back and forth from his bed to another part of his room, tossing out the proper responses.  I rate this book 8 of 10, a very good and obviously memorable book.



This is the first of three YouTube videos.  I like the second one best, but the code to embed is for the first one.  Have fun with these children playing along with the song.  I love their teacher!