Merry Tales

Chapter 31: A LITTLE DUTCH GARDEN

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About This Book

A curated collection of short, cheerful narratives and poems retells myths, legends, and folk tales from diverse traditions for young readers. Stories emphasize gentle surprises and happy endings while omitting much of the grimmer content common to older folk versions. Language and vocabulary are graded for third and fourth grade reading, and many pieces lend themselves to dramatization in classroom or home. Entries range from animal fables and moral tales to fairy and wonder stories, often adapted to highlight themes of cleverness, generosity, and practical wisdom. A concise preface and acknowledgments guide teachers and parents in selecting items for supplementary reading and shared storytelling.

A LITTLE DUTCH GARDEN

I passed by a garden, a little Dutch garden,
Where useful and pretty things grew;
Heartsease and tomatoes, and pinks and potatoes,
And lilies and onions and rue.

I saw in that garden, that little Dutch garden,
A chubby Dutch man with a spade;
And a rosy Dutch frau with a shoe like a scow,
And a flaxen-haired little Dutch maid.

There grew in that garden, that little Dutch garden,
Blue flag flowers lovely and tall;
And early blush roses, and little pink posies,
And Gretchen was fairer than all.

My heart’s in that garden, that little Dutch garden,
It tumbled right in as I passed,
‘Mid ‘wildering mazes of spinach and daisies,
And Gretchen is holding it fast.