An Alphabet by Edward Lear - A Was Once an Apple Pie - Poem

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, now known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised.

As an author, he is known principally for his popular nonsense collections of poems, songs, short stories, botanical drawings, recipes, and alphabets. He also composed and published twelve musical settings of Tennyson's poetry.

In 1846 Lear published A Book of Nonsense, a volume of limericks which went through three editions and helped popularize the form and the genre of literary nonsense. In 1871 he published Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets, which included his most famous nonsense song, The Owl and the Pussycat, which he wrote for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Many other works followed.

I hope you enjoy this video I have illustrated and animated of one of his famous alphabets


A was once an apple pie, Pidy Widy Tidy Pidy Nice insidy Apple Pie!

B was once a little bear, Beary! Wary! Hairy! Beary! Taky cary! Little Bear!

C was once a little cake, Caky Baky Maky Caky Taky Caky, Little Cake!

D was once a little doll, Dolly Molly Polly Nolly Nursy DollyLittle Doll!

E was once a little eel, Eely, Weely Peely EelyTwirly, Tweedy Little Eel!

F was once a little fish, Fishy Wishy Squishy Fishy In a Dishy Little Fish!

G was once a little goose, Goosy Moosy Boosy Goosey Waddly-woosy Little Goose!

H was once a little hen, Henny Chenny TennyHenny Eggsy-any Little Hen?

I was once a bottle of ink, Inky Dinky Thinky Inky Black Minky Bottle of Ink!

J was once a jar of jam, Jammy Mammy Clammy Jammy Sweety-Swammy Jar of Jam!

K was once a little kite, Kity Whity Flighty Kity Out of sighty-Little Kite!

L was once a little lark, Larky! Marky! Harky! Larky! In the Parky, Little Lark!

M was once a little mouse, Mousey Bousey Sousy Mousy In the Housy Little Mouse!

N was once a little needle, Needly Tweedly Threedly Needly Wisky-wheedly Little Needle!

O was once a little owl, Owly Prowly Howly Owly Browny fowly Little Owl!

P was once a little pump, Pumpy Slumpy Flumpy Pumpy Dumpy, Thumpy Little Pump!

Q was once a little quail, Quaily Faily Daily Quaily Stumpy-taily Little Quail!

R was once a little rose, Rosy Posy Nosy Rosy Bows-y - grows-y Little Rose!

S was once a little shrimp, Shrimpy Nimpy Flimpy Shrimpy Jumpy-jimpy Little Shrimp!

T was once a little thrush, Thrushy! Hushy! Bushy! Thrushy! Flitty-Flushy Little Thrush!

U was once a little urn, Urny Burny Turny Urny Bubbly-burny Little Urn!

V was once a little vine, Viny Winy Twiny Viny Twisty-twiny Little Vine!

W was once a whale, Whaly Scaly Shaly Whaly Tumbly-taily Mighty Whale!

X was once a great king Xerxes, Xerxy Perxy Turxy XerxyLinxy Lurxy Great King Xerxes!

Y was once a little yew, Yewdy Fewdy Crudy Yewdy Growdy, grewdy, Little Yew!

Z was once a piece of zinc, Tinky Winky Blinky Tinky Tinkly Minky Piece of Zinc!