Rinky-Tattle

First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).

This rhyme feels like it came straight from a playground — fast, teasing, and just mischievous enough to make someone blush. You can almost hear it being shouted across a yard, the words bouncing like a skipping rope rhythm. It’s less about the meaning and more about the sound, that quick little chant that sticks in your head whether you want it to or not.

In Blanche Fisher Wright’s illustration, one child points accusingly while the other looks half-guilty, half-defiant. You can tell what just happened — someone told on someone, and now the rhyme’s being used as payback. But it’s harmless in that childhood way where drama lasts five minutes and forgiveness comes with the next game.

It’s a perfect snapshot of early childhood friendship — all noise, pride, and short tempers — where tattling is a crime and teasing is an art form.