Six Little Mice Sat Down to Spin - English Children's Songs - England - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World - Intro Image

Notes

Here's another version from A History of Nursery Rhymes (1899) by Percy B. Green.

Ten Little Mice Sat Down to Spin

Ten little mice sat down to spin,
Pussy looked down, and she looked in.
What are you doing, my little men?
We're making some clothes for gentlemen.
Shall I come in to cut your threads?
No, kind sir, you'll bite off our heads.

Here's another version of this rhyme that can be found in Harry's Ladder to Learning (1850):

Four little mice sat down to spin,
Pussy pass'd by and she peep'd in;
"What are you at, my fine little men?"
"Making coats for gentlemen."
"Shall I come in, and cut off your thread?"
"No! no! Miss Pussy, you'll bite off our head."

Here's the version from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith:

Some little mice sat in a barn to spin,
Pussy came by, and she popped her head in;
"Shall I come in and cut your threads off?"
"Oh, no, kind sir, you will snap our heads off."

Thanks and Acknowledgements

The first version of this rhyme and the illustration can be found in The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (vers 1920) edited par Walter Jerrold (1865 - 1929) and illustrated by Charles Robinson (with some graphical editing of the above image by Lisa Yannucci)