Our Little Pat
Our little Pat
Was chasing the cat
And kicking the kittens about.
When mother said “Quit!”
He ran off to sit
On the top of the woodpile and pout;
But a sly little grin
Soon slid down his chin
And let all the sulkiness out.
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
This short domestic scene could have been written yesterday. A mischievous boy, a scolding mother, a quick sulk — and then that inevitable grin that gives the game away. Jackson had a gift for catching moments that every family recognizes, and turning them into light, musical verses that never feel heavy-handed.
What makes Our Little Pat so charming is the rhythm: you can almost hear a parent reciting it aloud while trying not to smile. The rhyme gently scolds, but it forgives just as quickly — the “sly little grin” restores the peace faster than any lecture could.
It’s a small snapshot of childhood that still rings true more than a hundred years later: mischief, apology, and the kind of good humor only a child can get away with.
