Johnny Crow's Garden

L. Leslie Brooke · 1903

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A word before the story

L. LESLIE BROOKE

A hen and a rooster hurry past a signpost pointing to Johnny Crow's Garden.

First Edition, 1903

Elephant, hippo, bear, goose, monkeys and penguins gather as a pig dances a jig.

To the Memory of my Father, who first told me of Johnny Crow's Garden; and to my Boys, for whom I have set on record these facts concerning it.

Curling black vines and leaf shapes swirl together in a decorative pattern.

JOHNNY CROW'S GARDEN.

Stylised black flowers and leaves fill a small decorative rectangular border.

Johnny Crow Would dig and sow

Two seated monkeys flank a crow, all three looking out at the reader.

Till he made a little Garden.

A single flowering plant with several blossoms and leaves stands in black and white.

And the Lion

Rows of crows border the dedication page, framed above and below the printed text.

Had a green and yellow Tie on

Two penguins stand before a milestone marker reading Johnny Crow's Garden, nineteen miles.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

Johnny Crow digs the soil beside a spade and a packet of sweet pea seeds.

The Lion struts past Johnny Crow wearing a green and yellow checked bow tie.

Johnny Crow watches as a bear gestures toward a lion resting in a garden chair.

An ape measures the bear with a tape while other monkeys and a penguin watch.

A crane holds an umbrella in the rain as Johnny Crow walks beside it.

A goat in glasses leans over the beaver's bed while Johnny Crow waits with a bowl.

Two storks read from books on a stand while a hippopotamus and elephant loom nearby.

A goose and an owl stand together in a garden of pink roses.

A small mouse sits in the grass beside the little house he built.

The whale tells a long tale while the lion, elephant, and a piglet listen.

An owl faces two long-necked seabirds on the shore as something splashes in the sea.

And the Rat Wore a Feather in his Hat

Johnny Crow waters young chicks growing in the garden as monkeys watch from a tree.

But the Bear Had nothing to wear

The lion sits outside a garden archway with 'Welcome' carved above the gate.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

So the Ape

The ape capers about trailing a tape measure while two cranes look on.

Took his Measure with a Tape

The rat struts along wearing a tall feathered hat and carrying a cane.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

Then the Crane

The ape sits with his tape measure as Johnny Crow watches and the bear stands behind.

Was caught in the Rain

The ape measures a crane with his tape while the tall bear looms behind them.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

And the Beaver Was afraid he had a Fever

A coated tailor fits a green and yellow bow tie onto the seated lion.

But the Goat Said:

The Crane stands sheltering beside a tree trunk as rain pours down.

"It's nothing but his Throat!"

The Crane looks down at a small black bird and a cane lying in a puddle.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

And the Pig Danced a Jig

The Beaver stands anxiously in the rain, looking as if he has a fever.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

Then the Stork Gave a Philosophic Talk

The Goat stands over Johnny Crow, pointing a stick toward his throat.

Till the Hippopotami Said: "Ask no further 'What am I?'"

While the Elephant Said something quite irrelevant

The Elephant, wrapped in a bonnet and shawl, rocks in a chair as Johnny Crow watches.

And the Goose-- Well,

The Pig dances a jig between two large hippos under a blossoming tree.

the Goose was a Goose

Two hippos stand nose to nose, sniffing a small plant between them.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

And the Mouse

Two hippos sit listening as a stork lectures beside a stack of books.

Built himself a little House

The Elephant sits on a stool, listening to a stork read from a book.

Where the Cat

Two hooded, dark-robed birds read together from a large book titled 'What I Am.'

Sat down beside the Mat

The Goose stands guard beside a sign reading 'Keep off the grass, J. Crow.'

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

And the Whale

The Goose stands on a grassy mound as two small birds watch from across the water.

Told a very long Tale

The Mouse balances on a rope strung between two poles beside a brick chimney.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

And the Owl Was a funny old Fowl

A black cat crouches in the grass watching a small house as a mouse waits nearby.

And the Fox

A cat crouches by a garden house as a bird perches in the tall reeds nearby.

Put them all in the Stocks

Johnny Crow and a mouse watch a cat lap cream from a saucer beside a jug.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

But Johnny Crow He let them go

A huge whale, elephant, hippopotamus and lion gather with birds and a mouse under a tree.

And they all sat down to their dinner in a row

A whale leans against a wooden fence as a lion and elephant approach from a distance.

In Johnny Crow's Garden.

"GOOD-BYE!"

A goose stretches its neck over a wooden stile as a fox stands watch behind it.

OTHER BOOKS with Drawings by LESLIE BROOKE

A large fox in a blue coat guards a goose, pig and hen locked in stocks.

JOHNNY CROW'S GARDEN

JOHNNY CROW'S PARTY

JOHNNY CROW'S NEW GARDEN

A giraffe bends its long neck down through a fence as a cat watches from behind.

THE GOLDEN GOOSE BOOK _The Three Little Pigs Tom Thumb The Golden Goose The Three Bears_

A goose leans over a fence rail as Johnny Crow watches below and a fox lurks.

RING O' ROSES A Collection of Old Nursery Rhymes

Johnny Crow hosts a dinner table crowded with a lion, pig, giraffe, elephant, hippo and bear.

THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD, and other Old Fairy Stories

Two penguins wearing flower wreaths stand in a doorway looking toward a puzzled crow.

A ROUNDABOUT TURN By Robert H. Charles

Public domain. Source text via Project Gutenberg, PG boilerplate removed. View the source edition

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