You may not be familiar with the entire nursery rhyme The Three Little Kittens, so here it is with thanks to Wikipedia.
The three little kittens they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost
What? Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
We shall have no pie.
Our mittens we have lost.
The three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to smile,
Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,
Our mittens we have found
What? Found your mittens, you good little kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
We shall have some pie.
Let us have some pie.
The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled
What? Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
Our mittens we have soiled.
Then they began to sigh.
The three little kittens they washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry;
Oh! mother dear, look here, look here,
Our mittens we have washed
What? Washed your mittens, you good little kittens,
But I smell a rat close by.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
We smell a rat close by.
Let's all have some pie.
Now, there is a version of this rhyme that we have in a board book that severely edits the above text.
I hate it.
Here's the Reader's Digest version. (The book is literally from The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.)
Three little kittens
They lost their mittens
And they began to cry. (Turn the page.)
What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens,
Then you shall have no pie! (Turn the page.)
The three little kittens
They found their mittens,
And they began to smile. (Turn the page.)
Put on your mittens,
You silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie. (Turn the page.)
Purrr, purrr, purrr,
Oh, let us have some pie!
Reader's Digest shortens books. I get that. But this hack job is inexcusable.
You can't use this book to teach your child the proper nursery rhyme. There's no balance. There's a misspelled word. What's wrong with using purr? If you need to cut something, why not include all of the first 2 stanzas in the same amount of space? Make the font a little smaller if needed.
Don't get this book, illustrated by Tracey Moroney. (Sorry, Tracey.) Find another one that more faithfully tells the true tale of the three little kittens.
Your children will be glad you did when they are parents themselves.
Also, three cuter kittens....
