The	  Little	  Boy	  	  By	  Helen	  E.	  Buckley	  	  	  The	  little	  boy	  looked	  at	  the	  teacher’s	  Once	  a	  little	  boy	  went	  to	  school.	
  flower.	  
He	  was	  quite	  a	  little	  boy.	  
Then	  he	  looked	
  at	  his	  own	
  flower,	  And	  it	  was	  quite	  a	  big	  school.	  
He	  liked	  his	
  flower	  better	  than	  the	  But	  when	  the	  little	  boy	  teacher’s.	  
Found	  that	  he	  could	
  go	  to	  his	  room	  But	
  he	  did	  not	  say	  this,	  By	  walking	  right	  in	  from	  the	  door	  outside,	  He	  just	  turned	  his	  paper	  over	  He	  was	  happy.	  
And	  made	  a	  flower	  like	  the	  teacher’s.	  
And	  the	  school	  did	  not	  seem	  It	  was	  red,	  with	  a	  green	
  stem.	  
Quite	
  so	  big	  any	  more.	  	  	  
On	  another	  day,	  One	  morning,	  When	  the	  little	  boy	  had	
  opened	  When	  the	  little	  boy	  had	  been	  in	  school	  a	  The	  door	  from	  the	  outside	  all	  by	  himself,	
  while,	  The	
  teacher	  said,	
  The	
  teacher	
  said:	  “Today	  we	  are	  going	  to	  make	  something	  “Today	  we	  are	  going	
  to	  make	  a	  picture.”	
  with	  clay.”	  “Good!”	  thought	  the	  little	
  boy.	  
“Good!”	  thought	  the	  boy.	  
He	  liked	  to	  make	
  pictures.	  
He	  liked	  clay.	  
He	  could	  make	  all	  kinds:	  He	  could	  make	  all	  kinds	  of	  things	  with	  Lions	  and	  tigers,	  clay:	  Chickens	  and	
  cows,	  Snakes	
  and	  snowmen,	  Trains	  and	  boats	
  –	  Elephants	  and	  mice,	  And	  he	  took	  out	  his	  box	  of	  crayons	  Cars	  and	  trucks	  –	  And	  began	  to	  draw.	  
And	  he	  began	  to	  pull	  and	  pinch	  	  His	  ball	  of	  clay.	  
But	  the	  teacher	  said:	  	  “Wait!	
  It	  is	  not	  time	  to	  begin!”	  But	  the	  teacher	  said,	  And	  she	
  waited	  until	  everyone	  looked	  “Wait!	
  And	  I	  will	  show	  you	
  how.”	
  ready.	  
And	  she	  showed	
  everyone	  how	  to	  make	  “Now,”	  said	
  the	
  teacher,	  One	  deep	  dish.	  
“We	  are	  going	  to	  make	  flowers.”	  “There,”	  said	
  the	  teacher.	  
“Good!”	  thought	  the	  little	  boy,	  “Now	  you	  may	  begin.”	  He	  liked	  to	  make	  flowers,	  	  And	  he	  began	  to	  make	  beautiful	  ones	  The	  little	  boy	  looked	  at	  the	  teacher’s	  dish	  With	  his	  pink	  and	  orange	  and	  blue	  Then	  he	  looked	  at	  his	  own.	
  crayons.	  
He	  liked	  his	
  dishes	  better	  than	  the	  But	  the	  teacher	  said,	  teacher’s	  “Wait!	
  And	  I	  will	  show	  you	  how.”	  But	
  he	  did	  not	  say	  this,	  And	
  she	  drew	  a	  flower	  on	  the	  blackboard.	  
He	  just	  rolled	  his	  clay	
  into	  a	  big	  ball	  again,	  It	  was	  red,	  with	  a	  green	  stem.	  
And	  made	  a	  dish	  like	  the	  teacher’s.	  
“There,”	  said	
  the	
  teacher.	
  It	
  was	  a	  deep	  dish.	  
“Now	  you	  may	  begin.”	  	  	  	  	  Early	  Learning	  in	  Math	  and	  Science	  (ELMS)	
  ©	  2017	  by	  The	  Regents	  of	  the	  University	  of	  California.	  All	  rights	  reserved.	
  And	  pretty	  soon	  The	  little	  boy	  learned	  to	  wait	  And	  to	  watch,	  And	  to	  make	  things	  just	  like	
  the	
  teacher.	  
And	  pretty	  soon	  He	  didn’t	  make	  things	
  of	  his	
  own	  anymore.	
  	  Then	  it	  happened	  That	  the	  little	  boy	  and	  his	
  family	  Moved	  to	  another	  house,	  In	  another	  city,	  And	  the	  little	  boy	  Had	  to	  go	  to	  another	
  school.	
  This	  school	  was	  even	
  bigger	  Than	  the	  other	  one,	  And	  there	  was	  no	  door	  from	  the	  outside	  Into	  his	  room.	
  He	
  had	  to	  go	  up	  some	  big	  steps,	  And	  walk	  down	  a	  long	  hall	
  To	
  get	  to	  his	  room.	  
And	  the	  very	  first	  day	  He	  was	  there,	  the	  teacher	
  said,	  “Today	  we	  are	  going	
  to	  make	  a	  picture.”	  	  “Good!”	  thought	  the	  little	  boy,	  And	  he	  waited	  for	  the	  teacher	  To	  tell	  him	
  what	  to	  do	  But	  the	  teacher	  didn’t	
  say	  anything.	  
She	  just	
  walked	  around	  the	  room.	  	  When	  she	  came	  to	  the	  little	  boy,	  She	
  said,	  “Don’t	  you	  want	
  to	  make	
  a	  picture?”	
  “Yes,”	  said	  the	  little	  boy.	  
“What	  are	  we	  going	  to	  make?”	  “I	  don’t	  know	  until	  you	  make	  it,”	  said	
  the	  teacher.	  
“How	  shall	  I	  make	  it?”	  asked	  the	  little	  boy.	  
“Why,	  any	  way	  you	  like,”	  said	
  the	  teacher.	  
“And	  any	
  color?”	  asked	  the	  little	  boy.	
  “Any	
  color,”	  said	
  the	
  teacher,	
  “If	
  everyone	  made	  the	  same	  picture,	  And	  used	  the	  same	  colors,	  How	  would	
  I	  know	  who	  made	  what,	  “And	  which	  was	  which?”	  “I	  don’t	  know,”	  said	  the	  little	  boy.	  
And	  he	  began	  to	  draw	  a	  flower.	  
It	  was	  red,	  with	  a	  green	  stem.

Early	  Learning	  in	  Math	  and	  Science	  (ELMS)	
  ©	  2017	  by	  The	  Regents	  of	  the	  University	  of	  California.	  All	  rights	  reserved.