Little Girl

by Laura E. Richards

---

Little Girl is a delightful poem to remember to "put a smile right under your pillow" so when you wake up, you'll be happy! Published in Ms. Richards' collection for very young children, Three Minute Stories (1914).

---

When Little Girl wakes in the morning gay
Then everybody is glad;
The cat in the kitchen sits purring away,
And the puppy dog barks like mad.
The bell in the steeple turns head over heels,
That’s his way of showing how glad he feels;
And all the wide world seems to say,
“Our dear Little Girl is happy to-day!”

When Little Girl wakes in the morning sad,
Then everybody must mourn;
The little birds sigh, and the big birds cry,
And the scarecrow sobs in the corn.
The fishes all pull their hankies out,
And go and weep with the poor hornpout,
And the clock says, “Tock! I’m sorry to say
Our dear Little Girl is sad to-day!”

So, Little Girl, when you go beddy at night,
Put a smile right under your pillow,
And when you wake up, just slip it on tight,
And wear it all day with a will, oh!
Then the sun will shine and the wind will blow,
And the bells will ring, “Ho! ho! ho! ho!”
For in all the wide world there’s naught can be
So sweet as a happy child to see!