MARNI GETS DRESSED IN THE MORNING
Once there was a little girl and her name was Marni Moo. Marni used to sleep in a little bed in mother’s room. In the morning Marni would wake up and she would say “Hello, Mother.” And then in a minute she would say, “I want to get up.”
And mother would say:
“Hoohoo, Marni Moo.
I’m coming, I’m coming,
I’m coming for you.”
Then mother would get up and she’d come over and she’d unfasten the blanket and she’d take little Marni Moo in her arms and she’d walk into Marni’s bath-room and she’d take off Marni’s nightgown and Marni’s shirt. And then she’d get a little basin, and she’d put some water in it, and she’d get some soap and she’d get a sponge and she’d wash little Marni Moo. She’d wash Marni’s face and then she’d wash Marni’s hands, and Marni would put one hand in the basin and she’d splash the water like this:— Then she’d put another hand in the basin and she’d splash the water like this:— Then mother would wipe both hands and she’d throw the water down the sink and she’d put away the soap and the sponge. And Marni would watch mother and then she’d say:
“Where water?
Where soap?
Where sponge?
Water gone away!
Soap gone away!
Sponge gone away!”
And after that what do you suppose Marni would say?
“Shirt, shirt.” And mother would put Marni’s shirt over her head and say:
“Peek-a-boo, Marni Moo,
Marni’s head is coming through.”
and then mother would button up Marni’s shirt.
And then Marni would say “Waist, waist.” Then while mother put on Marni’s waist she would say:
“Here’s one hand
And here’s another.
Marni’s a sister
And Robin’s a brother.”
And then Marni would say, “Drawers, drawers.” And while mother put on Marni’s drawers she would say:
“Here’s one foot
And here’s another.
Marni’s a sister
And Peter’s a brother.”
And then Marni would say, “Stockings, stockings.” And mother would put on one stocking on her left foot, and then she’d put on another stocking on her right foot. And then she’d fasten the garters on one stocking, and then she’d fasten the garters on the other stocking. And all the time mother would keep saying:
“Here’s one leg
And here’s another.
Marni’s a sister
And Jack-o’s a brother.”
Then Marni would say, “Shoe, shoe.” And mother would put one shoe on her left foot and then she’d put on the other shoe on her right foot. And then she’d say again:
“Here’s one foot
And here’s another.
Marni’s a sister
And Robin’s a brother.”
And then Marni would say, “Hook, hook.” And mother would get the button-hook and then she’d button up the left shoe and then she’d button up the right shoe. And all the time she was buttoning up first one shoe and then the other shoe Marni would say:
“Look, look,
Hook, hook.”
And when the shoes were all buttoned up, mother would hit first one little sole and then the other little sole, and say:
“Now we’re through
Tit, tat, too.
Here a nail, there a nail,
Now we’re through.”
Then Marni would run and get her romper and bring it to mother calling, “Romper, romper.” And mother would put on her romper, singing:
“Romper, romper
Who’s got a romper?
Little Marni Moo
She’s got two.
One is a yellow one
And one is blue.
Romper, romper
Who’s got a romper?”
And then Marni would say, “Button, button.” And mother would button up her romper all down the back. First one button and then another button and then another button and then another button, and then another button and then another button until they were buttoned all down the back.
And then Marni would say, “Sweater.” And mother would put on her little blue sweater saying:
“Sweater, sweater
Who’s got a sweater?
Little Marni Moo
She’s got two.
One is a yellow one
And one is blue.
Sweater, sweater,
Who’s got a sweater?”
And then Marni would say, “Hair.” And mother would get the brush and comb and brush Marni’s hair. And all the time she was brushing it she would say:
“Brush it so
And brush it slow.
Brush it here
And brush it there.
Brush it so
And brush it slow.
And brush it here
And brush it there
And brush it all over your dear little head.”
And then Marni would say, “All ready.” And mother would put her down on the floor.
Then Marni would say:
“Where my little pail?
My little pail gone away.
I want my little pail
Come, little pail.”
And mother would give her her little pail. And Marni would put one nut in her pail, and then she’d put another nut in her pail, and then she’d put another nut in her pail. And then she’d put a marble in her pail, and then she’d put another marble in her pail, and then she’d put another marble in her pail. And then she’d put her quack-quack in her pail, and then she’d put her fish in her pail, and then she’d put her frog in her pail. Then she would shake her pail with all of the nuts and the marbles and the quack-quack and the frog and the fish, and they would all go bingety-bang, crickety-crack, bingety-bang, crickety-crack.
And Marni would say, “Bingety-bang, crickety-crack. Where Jack-o?” And Marni would run to find Jack-o, and she would say, “Jack-o, hear bingety-bang, crickety-crack.” And she would rattle her little pail with all the nuts and the marbles and the quack-quack and the fish and the frog. Then she’d say, “Where Peter?” And Marni would run to find Peter, and she would say, “Peter, hear bingety-bang, crickety-crack.” And she would rattle her little pail with all the nuts and the marbles and the quack-quack and the fish and the frog.
Then mother would call, “Breakfast, breakfast. Anyone ready for breakfast?”
And Jack-o would call back, “I am, I am, I am ready for breakfast.”
And Peter would run as fast as he could calling, “I am, I am, I am ready for breakfast.”
And last of all would come little Marni Moo calling, “Breakfast, breakfast.”
Then the two boys would chase Marni to the breakfast table saying:
“Marni Mitchell,
Marni Moo,
Run like a mousie
Or I’ll catch you.”
And Marni would scimper scamper like a mousie until she reached the breakfast table.
Then they would all have breakfast together.
THE ROOM WITH THE
WINDOW LOOKING OUT
ON THE GARDEN
In this story written for a three-year-old group, I have tried to present the familiar setting of the classroom from a new point of view and to give the presentation a very obvious pattern. I want the children to take an active part in the story. But before they try to do this I want them to have some conception of the whole pattern of the story so that their contributions may be in proper design, both in substance and in length. That is the reason I give two samples before throwing the story open to the children. If each child has a part which falls into a recognized scheme, through performing that part he gets a certain practice in pattern making in language,—however primitive—and also a certain practice in the technique of co-operation which means listening to the others as well as performing himself. I have not tried to add anything to their stock of information,—merely to give them the pleasure of drawing on a common fund together.