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'Little Jack Horner' : NPR

Reason Behind the Rhyme: 'Little Jack Horner' Host Debbie Elliott and Chris Roberts dissect the meaning of the nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner." It's about a real estate swindle in 16th-century England. Roberts is the author of Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme.

Heard on All Things Considered

Reason Behind the Rhyme: 'Little Jack Horner'

Host Debbie Elliott and Chris Roberts dissect the meaning of the nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner." It's about a real estate swindle in 16th-century England. Roberts is the author of Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, host:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Debbie Elliott.

You think the real estate market is treacherous today, try England in the late 1530s. That's what the nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner" is really all about.

(Soundbite of music)

ELLIOTT: Here to explain is our London librarian Chris Roberts. He's the author of "Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme," and he's at our London bureau.

Hello again, Chris.

Mr. CHRIS ROBERTS (Author, "Heavy Words Lightly Thrown"): Hello. Hi, Debbie.

ELLIOTT: So who was Little Jack Horner?

Mr. ROBERTS: Little Jack Horner was actually Thomas Horner. The name Jack comes up in nursery rhymes a lot, usually to reflect a slightly knavish character, a bit of a ne'er-do-well. So I suspect that's why they changed his name to Jack from Thomas.

(Reading) `Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating his Christmas pie. He stuck in a thumb and pulled out a plum and said, "What a good boy am I."'

Where to begin with this? This is talking about the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII taking property from the Catholic Church. Jack, as we know, is actually called Thomas Horner. Now he was a steward to the Abbot of Glastonbury during the reign of Henry VIII. This is how the story goes: He was entrusted to take some title deeds of properties to Henry VIII as a bribe so the abbot could keep the main monastery, but was prepared to give away some of the lesser properties.

Now the title deeds were held and sealed in a pie, and Jack's off to London. But instead of delivering the bribe to Henry VIII, he helps himself to the pie, puts his hand in, pulls out a plum piece of real estate--in this case, a place called Mells Manor--and thinks he's very clever for doing this. That's one version of it, that Jack is a thief and he's stealing the bribe that's intended for the king. And he...

ELLIOTT: So was this common? Is there historical evidence to support the theory that bribes were often delivered in pies?

Mr. ROBERTS: It comes up bewilderingly often in nursery rhyme. And it's--I think the pie is used as a metaphor. I think it's not necessarily what we would think of as a pie. It's just referring to a means of concealing a document, concealing anything. It could be jewels in some cases. Now the Horner family, who incidentally lived in Mells Manor until the 20th century, are quite outraged at this slander of their ancestor and understandably so.

And there are actually two rhymes that mention Mr. Horner. The first one that mentions him is: `Hopton(ph), Horner, Smith and Finn, when the abbots went out, they came in.' And a much more likely reading of what happened is that Thomas Horner, along with the other people mentioned in the previous rhyme--Hopton and Smith and Finn--were up-and-coming gentry. They were Protestant, they were local merchants doing quite well for themselves in the area around Glastonbury, and that they bought the property. You could see it as an early example of gentrification. They bought the property at the time admittedly at a knockdown rate, and admittedly the land had been stolen from the Catholic Church by Henry VIII. This seems to be what happened after the dissolution of the monasteries. The king didn't keep all the land for himself; he distributed it amongst his supporters so he then could rely on their loyalty should anything occur in the future, should there be a rebellion in the future. I suspect, though I can't prove this, that the popular `Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, eating his Christmas pie' version is actually the Catholic take on proceedings there.

ELLIOTT: Chris Roberts is the author of "Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme," and he's a librarian at Lambeth College in South London.

Thank you, Chris.

Mr. ROBERTS: Thank you, Debbie.

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One finger, one thumb, keep moving

One finger, one thumb, keep moving

One finger, one thumb, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg,
one nod of the head, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg,
one nod of the head, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg,
one nod of the head, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, keep moving

One finger, one thumb, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg,
one nod of the head, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg,
one nod of the head, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg,
one nod of the head, keep moving
We’ll all be merry and bright.

We’ll all be merry and bright.

Finger rhymes: rhyme texts, folklore, card file

Finger game card file is a collection of nursery rhymes for children, their early and school development. Such games help to improve fine motor skills, memorize colors and shapes, replenish vocabulary with the help of special tactile exercises. Children's rhymes from this category are developed by specialists or selected from many folk games. Finger games are needed for the development of speech - and you will understand how to use them after reading the full texts of nursery rhymes. nine0003

Taya put on a mitten:

Oh, what am I doing?

No finger, missing.

I didn't get into my house.

Taya took off her mitten:

Look, I found it!

You search, you search - and you will find

Hello, little finger,

How are you?

Mice run in circles:

One after another, one after another!

The mice dragged the cheese,

The mice are starting a feast!

Mice dance,

The mustachioed cat divides the cheese:

Here you have a piece,

Wrap it in a handkerchief!

Here's a piece of cheese for you,

Wash it down with kefir!

Here you go, don't miss it,

Gobble it up as soon as possible.

And you got a piece,

You didn't go hungry.

And the last one, finally!

That's the cat, well done!

Using the left hand, the baby bends the fingers of the right, starting with the thumb.

Who lives in the village? nine0003

Couch potato - red cat.

Little calf,

Yellow chicken,

White sheep,

Mouse under the porch!

One, two, three, four, five,

It's not hard to count them!

Who lives in the forest?

Under the snag - an old mole,

Beyond the mountain, a fox cub,

In a spruce forest - an elk.

Under the bush - a chanterelle,

On a pine - a titmouse!

One, two, three, four, five,

Let's bend our fingers!

We have a toy:

This is a rattle;

This is a fat bear;

One, two, three, four, five,

We'll check again!

We connect the same fingers.

Good animals are friends (fingers of the hands are connected in a "castle"),

Small hares are friends (rhythmic touch of the little fingers of both hands),

Beavers are friends in the lake (rhythmic touch of the ring fingers of both hands),

Mosquitoes are friends in the sky (rhythmic touch of the middle fingers of both hands).

Cute hedgehogs are friends (rhythmic touch of the index fingers of both hands),

Even bear cubs are friends (rhythmic touch of the thumbs of both hands).

That's how they played out,

They scattered through the forest! (

put your hands down, shake your hands)

Ring

The tip of the thumb of the right hand alternately touches the tips of the index, middle, ring fingers and little finger. To try the same exercise with the fingers of the left hand, to complicate the task, you can try to do the same movements with the fingers of the right and left hands at the same time. nine0003

The bear cub was visiting.

He went to the red squirrel,

And to the lake, to the beaver,

And went to the hedgehog in the hole,

Even to the mosquito

Our bear came!

Bee

Straighten the index finger of the right hand and rotate it, the same with the left hand, the same with both hands.

I'm a bee, I'm flying, I'm flying,

I want sweet honey!

I'm flying, I'm buzzing,

I'm lying on a clover!

Legs

Index and middle fingers "run" on the table. Perform the same movements with the fingers of the left hand, perform the same movements simultaneously with the fingers of both hands ("competition"). nine0003

Legs, legs,

Top-top-top!

Legs, legs,

Slap, slap, slap!

One step, two steps,

Catch me my friend!

A beaver was walking

A beaver was walking, carrying an ax,

A beaver was walking through the forest.

A beaver was walking through a swamp,

A beaver was walking to look for a job!

My hands are gone (hide my hands behind my back),

Maybe they ran away to the zoo out of boredom?

No, my fugitives were found, (show hands)

They were in a jar with jam.

My pens are a treasure.

Little little finger

Cries, cries, cries,

The nameless one will not understand,

What does it all mean,

The middle finger is very important,

Does not want to listen,

?

And the big one runs to the kitchen,

He drags a spoonful of porridge,

Says: “Don’t cry,

Here, eat a little!” nine0003

Fingers-brothers

Four brothers are walking

Towards the elder.

- Hello big man! - they say.

- Great, Vaska the Pointer,

Middle Bear,

Orphan Grishka

Yes, little Timoshka.

Once she sat down on the bench

Our friendly family:

The very first mother sat down,

Next to us was our strict father.

Brother and sister follow.

Well, where can I fit in? nine0003

This finger wants to sleep

This finger lay in the bed

This finger took a little naughty

This finger fell asleep

This firmly and firmly sleeps

,

quieter, do not make noise ...

The Red Sun will rise,

Morning the clear will come,

The birds will chirp,

The fingers will rise!

Chopping firewood for the big road,

Carrying water for you,

And lighting the stove for you,

And singing songs for the little girl

Songs to sing and dance,

Amuse brothers.

This finger is grandfather,

This finger is grandmother

This finger is daddy,

This finger is mommy,

This finger is me,

That's my whole family!

Five fingers

For girls and boys

Five fingers on the hand:

Big finger - a guy with a soul,

0003

The middle finger is also not the last one.

Ring finger - swaggering with a ring,

Fifth - little finger, brought you a present.

We counted on our fingers

And laughed terribly:

Are these fingers?

It's just boys!

Here's a big, funny fat man,

Likes to brag just like that.

How are you? - ask him.

He will jump up and shout: - In!

Index beckon,

Threaten, show the way,

And then get stuck in the nose:

You need to rest somewhere!

Middle finger - will give a snap

Middle finger - an angry boy.

Click on the forehead - there will be a bump,

Click on the ball - the ball will burst,

Click - and the mosquito will faint.

Nameless until the morning

Chooses names:

Maybe Petya? Or Vova?

Or Alla Pugacheva?

Thumb boy? Karabas?

It's been a thousand times already!

I'm tired, it's time to sleep,

I'd better choose in the morning!

Pet little finger

And the little finger is my favorite!

I'll take him to the menagerie,

I'll buy him an Eskimo -

I love very little ones!

My little finger, where have you been?

Cooked cabbage soup with the Nameless One,

And ate porridge with the Middle One,

With the Index sang.

And the Bolshoi met me.

About mice

This little mouse sits in a mink,

This little mouse is running in the field,

This little mouse is counting the ears,

This little mouse is gathering grain,

This little mouse is shouting:

“Hurrah, everyone get ready, it’s time for dinner!”

Cabbage

We chop cabbage (pronounce rhythmically, this is not a song, we show with our hands how we chop cabbage)

We three, three carrots (with our hands we show how we three carrots) salt)

We are mashing the cabbage… (hands are mashing the cabbage)

Orange

We were sharing an orange! (cam - “orange” in front of you)

Many of us (left hand spread out - this is “we”)

And he is alone (look at the cam)

This slice is for kittens (bend one finger)

This slice is for ducklings (bend the other finger)

This slice for the snake (bend the third finger)

This slice for the siskin (fourth)

This slice for the beaver (fifth)

A peel for a wolf! (we shake the former fist - like a peel)

The wolf got angry - trouble,

Run away in all directions!

This finger is small,

This finger is weak,

This finger is long,

This finger is strong,

Well, this is a fat man,

And all together - a fist!

On a walk

On the road, at the fork,

Two teasers met.

Met, teased,

They could not restrain themselves - and grappled!

Breakers came running -

They interfered with the skirmish.

And to the fork on the mare

Two mirilka galloped.

The skirmish stopped,

And then the rhyme came:

One-two-three-four-five-

It's good to count friends!

Fingers in the forest

One, two, three, four, five.

Fingers went out for a walk.

I found this finger mushroom.

This finger began to clean. nine0003

This cutter.

This ate.

Well, this one just looked!

Fingers

Ten fingers -

Ten brothers:

Five on the right

And five on the left,

They began to think

And guess

How to call each other

The very first,

You are big,

Index -

Second,

The longest

You will be - medium.

Nameless -

Penultimate.

And the little finger is behind.

You are the little finger. You are driving!

We bend the fingers one by one:

This finger - went into the forest,

This finger - found a mushroom,

This finger - took a place,

This finger - will lie down tightly,

and got fat.

The porridge was boiled

The spoon was stirred

The chrysalis was fed

The cat was given. (with the index finger we drive along the palm)

Fingers get up

Curl fingers:

This finger wants to sleep,

This finger went to bed,

This finger just took a nap,

This finger is already asleep.

This one is fast, fast asleep.

Hush! Hush, don't make noise!

The red sun will rise,

The clear morning will come.

Birds will chirp,

Fingers will rise!

Fingers extend.

Ladushki

Hand-clapped hands

Clapped hands

Clapped hands (clap hands)

Let's rest a little (hands on knees).

Fists

Fists folded,

Fists beat.

Knock knock knock da knock,

Knock knock knock da knock. (banging fists against each other)

The thumb is connected in turn with each finger:

Finger-boy,

Where have you been?

With this brother

I went to the forest.

With this brother

Cooked cabbage soup,

With this brother

With this brother

Sang songs!

Ivan the Great - to chop wood,

Vaska the pointer - to carry water,

Medium bear - to heat the stove,

Grishka the orphan - to cook porridge, dance,

Amuse my brothers.

This finger is the thickest,

The strongest and biggest!

This finger is for

To show it off!

This finger is the longest

And it stands in the middle!

This finger is nameless,

He is the most spoiled one!

And although the little finger is small,

But dexterous and daring!

Floors

There are five floors in this house:

A family of hedgehogs lives on the first floor,

A family of rabbits lives on the second,

A family of red squirrels lives on the third,

On the fourth floor, a tit lives with chicks,

On the fifth floor, an owl is a very intelligent bird.

Well, it's time for us to go back down:

On the fifth, an owl,

On the fourth, a tit,

Squirrels on the third,

Rabbits - on the second,

On the first, hedgehogs, we will come to them.

Poems and nursery rhymes for the development of speech from 0 to 3 years

Speech therapists > ‎Speech therapy exercises‎ > ‎Preparatory speech therapy games for little ones‎ >

From the age of 2 months

Magpie, magpie,

Magpie - white-sided

Cooked a porridge,

Feeded the children.

The index finger of the right hand is moved along the palm of the left

gave to this,

The fingers are bent in turn, starting with the thumb

didn’t give it:

Do not bend the little finger .

You didn't carry water,

You didn't chop wood,

You didn't cook porridge

You don't have anything!

Ivan Bolshak - to chop wood,

Vaska the pointer - to carry water.

Middle bear - to heat the stove.

Trishka-orphan - cook porridge.

And little Timoshka - to sing songs,

Songs to sing and dance,

Amuse the brothers.

Bending fingers one at a time, starting with large, sing a nursery rhyme. nine0668

(from 9 months of age)

- Okay, okay! Where were you?

- At my grandmother's.

— What did you eat?

- Kashka.

— What did you drink?

- Brazhka.

A child and an adult, rhythmically clapping the text of the nursery rhyme

They ate porridge,

drank mash.

Shu-u-u... Let's fly!

They sat down on the head,

They sang like a cockerel.

Ku-ka-re-ku!

They raise their hands up and lower them on their heads

Four brothers are walking

Towards the elder.

— Hello big boy! -- they say.

- Great, Vaska - a pointer,

Grishka - an orphan

Bear - middle.

Yes, little Timoshka.

Connect the thumb of one hand with the other fingers in turn.

Who has arrived? nine0003

Place the fingers of both hands together at the tips. Clap quickly with your thumbs.

We, we, we!

Press the tips of the thumbs together, while the tips of the others simultaneously quickly clap

Mom, mom, is that you?

Clap with your thumbs

Yes, yes, yes!

Clap the tailbones of the index fingers.

Dad, dad, is that you?

Clap with your thumbs

Yes, yes, yes!

Clap with the tips of the middle fingers .

Brother, brother, is that you?

Clap with your thumbs

Yes, yes, yes!

Clap with the tips of the ring fingers

Oh, sister, is that you?

Clap with your thumbs

Yes, yes, yes!

Clap the tips of the little fingers.

We are all together,

Clap with all fingers

Yes, yes, yes!

We shared an orange.

There are many of us,

And he is alone.

Children clench and unclench the fingers of both hands into fists.

This slice is for the hedgehog.

This slice is for the swift.

This wedge is for ducklings.

This segment is for kittens.

This slice is for a beaver

Fingers are bent one by one, starting with the thumb.

And for the wolf - peel. nine0003

Clench the fingers of both hands into fists

He is angry with us - trouble;

Run away - who goes where!

abruptly exacerbate fingers compressed in fists

One baby

Swear in the garden,

Indicative, the finger of the right hand is straightened and directed up, the remaining compressed in the fist

,000,0002 Kupa

Pour in the pond,

Now two fingers are straightened, index and middle. nine0668

Three babies

crawling to the door in the apartment,

Straighten the ring finger as well.

And there are four more knocking on this door

.

All fingers extended except the thumb

Five others

are fine too:

Open the whole hand

They are having fun,

they are playing hide and seek.

Cover face with hands.

Where they hid, it’s clear and a no-brainer,

The fingers of both hands are clenched into the lock. Straighten the fingers of the left hand and the thumb of the right.

But I closed my eyes and drive:

Close your eyes with your hand.

"One, two, three, four, five...

In turn, open the fingers clenched into a fist: index, middle, ring, little, thumb

Well, beware: I'm going to look!"

Wag the index finger.

Here are five kittens.

One left - and he is gone.

The palm of the right hand is open

Well, he is not and is not.

There are four kittens left.

Bend your thumb.

Here are four kittens.

One at night sometimes

Climbed a tree

three kittens left.

Bend the little finger

But somewhere the little mouse squeaked

very thinly.

Kitten heard -

two kittens left.

Bend the ring finger

One of them with the ball

disappeared in the door without a trace,

Bend the middle finger.

And the most intelligent - the one,

remaining, the last,

Indoor finger attach to the forehead

He approached the bowl

and, as the pussy should,

Late milk for fifty

from a bowl.

Fold the palm into a ladle. Use the tongue to depict lapping movements.

Masha put on a mitten:

Make a fist

No finger, missing,

Unclench all fingers, except for the big one

I didn't get into my little house.


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