Little Things

by Betty Ren Wright

illustrations by Hilda Miloche

Little things are fun for me,
Fun to touch, fun to see--

Little dolls in matchbox chairs,
Teeny tiny beady bears,

Eeny fish with silver fins,
Weeny nails as long as pins,

Puppy dogs as small as (i)that,
Seven kitties in a hat,

Books as big as postage stamps,
Spools made into table lamps,

Baby shoes,
Baby mice,
Little cups are very nice,
Crispy cookies small as dimes,

Funny teeny tiny rhymes:
nickle pickle
trees freeze
bake a cake
squeeze a cheese

If it's littler than small,
If it's hardly there at all,
Hold-your-breath and
Watch your toes,
Almost-bump-it-with-your nose,
I LIKE IT!

Before I left Bellingham, I was at my mother's house drinking coffee with her and my grandmother, and together we read this book. It's my mother's favorite, water-stained and held atop a shelf of miniature squares holding miniature mice in costume, little metal ovens, little vegetables. The collection is incomplete. The moment stood out for a reason I don't understand yet.