Fiddleeebod

Young Quen Nim was often heard

muttering her favorite word.

What did she say

day after day?

“Ridiculous,” she stoutly purred.

I’m always happy to add an annotated children’s classic volume to my library. So far I have: The Annotated Hunting of the Snark and The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll, The Annotated Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, The Annotated Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and The Annotated Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. All of them tell how the stories came to be written and include fascinating biographical information about the authors. They are definite treasures for any library. My thanks to Rev. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Mr. Barrie, Mr. Baum, and Mr. Grahame for their stories and inspiration.

There once was an Acrotwist Clown

who set off to capture a Crown.

Nobb was his name,

villainy his game.

Don’t be charmed by his rainbow swirl frown.

This corner wall in my library is a good place to spend a day.

Top row, left to right: Perrault’s Fairy Tales, Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales, painting of the lavender witch’s edible cottage in Danken Wood, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, The Arabian Nights.

Bottom row: 8 of Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books.

Here’s Old Dabber of the West.

His granddaughter Nim loves him best.

Her smiles, so rare,

she tends to share

with Dabber alone above the rest.

On the world of Boad, strange pear trees grow on the cliffs overlooking the Wide Great Sea.

Motty, the hollowite nanny?

Why, the length of her tongue was uncanny.

With consummate ease

to the tops of the trees

it flicked with a bo bonny banny.

 A particular favorite of the Queeeen

was Bandy of Thorns, bendo dreen.

He alone, you see,

could control the three,

the mad Triplet Princesses, each one a teen.

Sill was a twin. So was Fiss.

Sailing the sea was their bliss,

on a trampoline raft,

most unusual craft,

though they sensed there was something amiss.

None can compare to Rindle Mer

with her frothy shock of orange hair.

You need not ask

if she’s up to the task.

She’ll revive the Woods with seconds to spare.