Lil' Shelf

Traditional Children’s Books

These are nursery rhymes with no known author. People passed them down by voice from one generation to the next, long before anyone thought to write them down, and the wording settled into slightly different versions along the way. That word-of-mouth history is the reason they are made for saying and singing aloud.

274 public domain works by Traditional, free to read aloud.

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Traditional
Baa, Baa, Black SheepTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Humpty Dumpty
Traditional
Humpty DumptyTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Three Blind Mice
Traditional
Three Blind MiceTraditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
Jack and Jill
Traditional
Jack and JillTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
This Little Piggy
Traditional
This Little PiggyTraditionalages 0 to 2tickle
Hickory Dickory Dock
Traditional
Hickory Dickory DockTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Ring a Ring O' Roses
Traditional
Ring a Ring O' RosesTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Thirty Days Hath September
Traditional
Thirty Days Hath SeptemberTraditionalages 5 to 8verse
London Bridge
Traditional
London BridgeTraditionalages 2 to 5action
Little Miss Muffet
Traditional
Little Miss MuffetTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
The Mulberry Bush
Traditional
The Mulberry BushTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Hey Diddle Diddle
Traditional
Hey Diddle DiddleTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Little Bo-peep
Traditional
Little Bo-peepTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
Pat-a-Cake
Traditional
Pat-a-CakeTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Traditional
Sing a Song of SixpenceTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
There Was an old Woman
Traditional
There Was an old WomanTraditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
Little Jack Horner
Traditional
Little Jack HornerTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Peter Piper
Traditional
Peter PiperTraditionalages 2 to 5verse
The House that Jack Built
Traditional
The House that Jack BuiltTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
Banbury Cross
Traditional
Banbury CrossTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Georgy Porgy
Traditional
Georgy PorgyTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
Hot-cross Buns
Traditional
Hot-cross BunsTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Old Mother Hubbard
Traditional
Old Mother HubbardTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
Rain
Traditional
RainTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Round and Round the Garden
Traditional
Round and Round the GardenTraditionalages 0 to 2tickle
See-saw
Traditional
See-sawTraditionalages 0 to 2actioncontent note
Simple Simon
Traditional
Simple SimonTraditionalages 2 to 5verse
Hush-a-bye, Baby
Traditional
Hush-a-bye, BabyTraditionalages 0 to 2lullabybedtime
Old King Cole
Traditional
Old King ColeTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
The Pumpkin-eater
Traditional
The Pumpkin-eaterTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
What Are Little Boys Made Of?
Traditional
What Are Little Boys Made Of?Traditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
Jack Sprat
Traditional
Jack SpratTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Pussy-cat and Queen
Traditional
Pussy-cat and QueenTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
A Week of Birthdays
Traditional
A Week of BirthdaysTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Little Boy Blue
Traditional
Little Boy BlueTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Pease Porridge
Traditional
Pease PorridgeTraditionalages 0 to 2tickle
The Lion and the Unicorn
Traditional
The Lion and the UnicornTraditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
Cover of Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional)
Mother Goose / Nursery Rhymes (traditional)Traditionalages 0 to 2
Ladybird
Traditional
LadybirdTraditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
To Market
Traditional
To MarketTraditionalages 0 to 2action
Wee Willie Winkie
Traditional
Wee Willie WinkieTraditionalages 0 to 2lullabybedtime
Come Out to Play
Traditional
Come Out to PlayTraditionalages 2 to 5action
Star Light, Star Bright
Traditional
Star Light, Star BrightTraditionalages 0 to 2lullabybedtime
The Little Girl with a Curl
Traditional
The Little Girl with a CurlTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee
Traditional
Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-deeTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
Doctor Foster
Traditional
Doctor FosterTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
The Alphabet
Traditional
The AlphabetTraditionalages 2 to 5verse
Cock-a-doodle-do!
Traditional
Cock-a-doodle-do!Traditionalages 0 to 2verse
Diddle Diddle Dumpling
Traditional
Diddle Diddle DumplingTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
For Want of a Nail
Traditional
For Want of a NailTraditionalages 2 to 5verse
If Wishes Were Horses
Traditional
If Wishes Were HorsesTraditionalages 5 to 8verse
Lucy Locket
Traditional
Lucy LocketTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
Solomon Grundy
Traditional
Solomon GrundyTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
The Man in the Moon
Traditional
The Man in the MoonTraditionalages 0 to 2verse
The Tarts
Traditional
The TartsTraditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
This Is the Way
Traditional
This Is the WayTraditionalages 0 to 2action
I Love Sixpence
Traditional
I Love SixpenceTraditionalages 0 to 2versecontent note
Bobby Shaftoe
Traditional
Bobby ShaftoeTraditionalages 2 to 5verse
Little Polly Flinders
Traditional
Little Polly FlindersTraditionalages 2 to 5versecontent note
Little Tom Tucker
Traditional
Little Tom TuckerTraditionalages 0 to 2verse