Tipsy Tom
Tipsy Tom, the naughty fellow,
Dressed his wife in pink and yellow,
Set her in an apple tree,
And said: “Now catch a bumblebee.”
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
This little rhyme is pure playful nonsense — the kind that made children giggle a century ago. It’s not really about bees at all; it’s about the ridiculous picture of poor Mrs. Tom, perched up in an apple tree, trying to keep her balance and her dignity at once.
Blanche Fisher Wright’s illustration turns the scene into a gentle comedy. Mrs. Tom doesn’t look angry — just mildly horrified, as though wondering how on earth she let herself get talked into this. It’s that mix of mischief and mild disaster every child recognizes: someone’s about to get scolded, but everyone’s going to laugh first.
