Tuesday 29 March 2016

Never Tease a Weasel



Never Tease a Weasel
Jean Conder Soule illustrated by Denman Hampson
Published by Parents' Magazine Press in 1964. 



You can knit a kitten mittens
And perhaps that cat would purr.
You could fit a fox with socks
That exactly matched his fur.
You could make a goat a coat
With a collar trimmed in mink;
Or give a pig a wig
In a dainty shade of pink
But never tease a weasel;
This is very good advice.
A weasel will not like it 
And teasing isn't nice!



You could make a riding habit
For a rabbit if you choose;


You could make a collie jolly
With a gay crocheted cravat;
Or make a possum blossom
In an Easter Sunday hat.



But never tease a weasel,
Not even once or twice.
A weasel will not like it
And teasing isn't nice!






A truly delightful book published by the Parent’s Magazine Press in 1964 with illustrations by Denman Hampson. A new edition with illustrations by George Booth was published in 2007. If you prefer the earlier version (as I do) you will need to hunt in your local second-hand book shop or charity shop. Or if you prefer to shop, you could check on eBay or ABEbooks where there are several copies for sale at time of writing.  

Never tease a weasel.
There! Now I've said it thrice.
A weasel will not like it –
And teasing isn't nice!

Don’t you just love that Perky Turkey?   

37 comments:

  1. I put my hand up..And, admit...I know a lot
    about weasels...! :). And stoats, mink, etc...
    There very interesting to read about. While
    l'm on about reading, an interesting thing to
    read about, and Google...is 'Weasel Word'.
    Won't bore you, but tells you the meaning,
    of the two words, and how a weasel can suck the
    inside of an egg out, without breaking the shell.
    HeHe! When sat in my high chair, as a tot of course,
    mia Mama, used to prick both ends of an egg, and give
    it to me, and, l'd suck out the inside. Leaving the
    shell complete and ready to be painted! :).

    Finally have to say...Love all the pics...Well, all
    of them except one...I~Hate~Turkeys..O.K. to eat,
    horrid looking things, HeHe! Yuk! :(
    Oh! The eggs are nice though, when you can get them!

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    1. Hi Willie, I agree a lot of turkeys are a bit odd looking, but not this one. Just look at those pretty blue shoes and the fan tail – beautiful no? I do believe he has a smile on his face too!
      Well I never! I knew the meaning of ‘Weasel word’ but had no idea Shakespeare might be involved – talk about coin a phrase. It’s fascinating how these things evolve into everyday language.
      As children, we were encouraged to collect bird eggs for the ‘nature table’ which also involved removing the inside and leaving the shell intact. I am ashamed to admit to it now, but didn’t know any better at the time. I wonder how long it will be before we all feel ashamed about eating eggs from a chicken! Life is a funny old thing.

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  2. Well, in growing up...ALL the kids used to
    collect eggs, prick them at both ends, then,
    'blow' the contents out. HeHe! After a while,
    they'd give them to me, and l'd suck the
    contents 'out'. I was raised 'NEVER' to waste
    food..! And, never have and never will...! :).

    Knock! Knock!
    Who's There..?
    Weasel..
    Weasel who?
    Weasel while you work...!!! :).

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    1. Love it!
      I don’t have a knock, knock for you, but ...

      Why can’t you tease egg whites?
      They can’t take a yolk.

      Enough, I hear you say!

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  3. Enough of the jokes or the weasel gets it.

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    1. HeHe! You've started summat now....
      "Two weasels sat on a bar stool...
      One starts to argue with the other..
      "I slept with your Mother..Did you
      hear me! I~SLEPT~WITH~YOUR~MOTHER"!
      This goes on for a few minutes...Then
      the other one says..."Go home Dad..Your
      Drunk". :>).

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    2. Good joke but say ta ta to the weasel.
      I did warn you.

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  4. I love it - but I'm not sure what Roger will make of it! hehe

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  5. THAT, was hilarious, brilliant, and a tongue twister! A MUST to read aloud to child or adult - to anyone who loves the dance of words. OH BARBARA, I love your choices! HAPPY TUESDAY! I am no spring break all week long.

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    1. I’m so pleased you enjoyed it Anita. It is such a gorgeously funny book! Enjoy your spring break – I hope the sun shines for you. xxx

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  6. Ooh, I love, love, LOVE this book ♥

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  7. How cute! I have not heard this one before and I just love it. I can see children loving it too. Now I will be saying it in my head all evening!!

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    1. Hi Darlene, I’ve been reciting it for days. I'm afraid it will stay with you! :-)

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  8. This book looks adorable. I love the illustrations you shared and the message in the rhymes is so true. Teasing isn't nice! Thanks for sharing. :)

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    1. I agree Stephanie. I try very hard not to tease anyone (or anything) because I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end.

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  9. What a delightful book. I love the perfect rhyme and fun illustrations--good find, Barbara!

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    1. Thanks so much Marcia, I’m really pleased you enjoyed it.

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  10. This is lovely, Barbara, and I'm sure I've heard it before. It reminds me of another story about a squirrel combing its tail with a teasel brush...oh to be young again!

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    1. Hi Marilyn, I’m puzzling about the squirrel and the teasel brush. It sounds so very familiar, and yet I can’t place the story. I must stop thinking about it, and hopefully it will come to me. We are young at heart, and that is all that matters. :)

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  11. Loving the images this post conjures up, I especially like the thought of a pig in a wig the dainty shade of pink.

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    1. Hi Tracy, we drive past fields full of pigs when we visit Terry’s parents. I will be imagining them in pink wigs (the pigs not Terry’s parents!) the next time I see them!!

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  12. I will have to remind the weasels in my life about this adorable poem!!

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    1. I’m sure they will be delighted Eve!!

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  13. Lol yes! I love that perky turkey, and I'd love to make a possum blossom. Such a delightful post, Barbara. Thanks so much!

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    1. My pleasure Claudine, I had a great big smile on my face while putting it together glad it made you smile too. Have a lovely weekend, Barbara x

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  14. Greetings dear Barbara,from sunny and hot North Queensland where Winter does not even show a single sign of visiting any time soon!!
    I know this darling little book,as I had it when a very small girl just about to start school.My parents,as I have mentioned before,were avidly into sharing and reading so many wonderful books,and this one, being a delightfully amusing rhyme,was right up their alley! Parents' Magazine,thankfully published many whimsical little treasures for the very young,and now fortunately,as adults we are enjoying many of them all over again! I just this morning received another early Chummy Annual which is full of such gorgeous delights,and the fabulous 'Little People's Annual' from Father Tuck in the early 1920's which I have been reading this week is also filled with such whimsy to bring a smile!!! To top all the wonderful words off,as always,are the illustrations which never fail to bring a cheerful aspect to my days!
    I just love the critters in your Weasel book and the Turkey in those High Heels are hilarious!! Denman Hampson who illustrated this treasure used such brilliant simple lines with bright patches of colour in this book which is so very 50'5/60's. 'Did You Ever?' was another book he illustrated but in a much simpler style in 1965.I had this one as well,or maybe my sister did.Either way I do recall it to some extent. He was so fond of the books which can be 'Read with Rhythm',of which I do think 'Weasel' is one of the more memorable,and such a treat!I had to go and google him after seeing his illustrations again which recalled fun memories to mind;,and was sad to find out that he died one day before he would have turned 77 years old.At least he did see the technological magic of the first decade of 21st century as he made it through to Nov 2007.
    Thank you Barbara for sharing such a gorgeous old book,and for one again bringing a smile to my face!
    Until next time we are in touch, love and smiles as ever,Jules xoxoxox

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    1. Hello Julie, you always bring a smile to my face you also enrich my life with your wonderful knowledge of books. This one really is adorable I love the words and the pictures and find myself picking it up and looking at it several times a day. It’s nice to have it on the blog because I can also look at it there. I’ve just received a copy of Oliver Herford’s Book of Animals, completely different from Never Tease a Weasel but delightful in its own way. I will share it on the blog soon; I just need to find the time to take the photos. We are enjoying such lovely spring sunshine at the moment I’m making the best of it by being outside as often as possible. Hence no time to photograph books! Last summer, I took several outside with me and photographed them among the flowers. It's not warm enough to do that quite yet but watch this space!! Thank you for the information re Denman Hampson, I had intended to look him up so you saved me the trouble. I may take a look anyway as I’m always interested to read more about peoples lives.
      Enjoy your new Chummy Annual and Little People’s Annual – I know you will because they are such treasures. Lots of love Barbara xx

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  15. Barbara! HELLO!!!!!!! My dear, dear friend out in England, thank you so much for coming to visit my post! It was a delightful day of play and we both agreed that we as adults need to play MORE! WE need to create the fun and something to look forward to! But the fun has ceased and tomorrow, I go back to school. But I hope I can carry the lesson learned with me: to make LOVE and light happen no matter where I go. Enjoy a new week! Anita

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    1. Hello Anita, it certainly looked like a lot of fun! Thank you so much for sharing all the photographs. I hope your new week back at school is going well. Barbara xx

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  16. Hello there Barbara! I absolutely love this post! Haven't thought of this book and poem for years, but it is so much fun to read! The illustrations are of course ADORABLE!

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    1. Thanks so much Diane, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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  17. That is wonderful Barbara, I've never seen that before. Love the illustrations. I might write out the first verse (too long for all of it) for my craft and knitting facebook group. It made me laugh.

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    1. Your Facebook group sounds like fun. I've just joined a Genealogy one – the trouble is I can’t keep up with all the posts and emails and as for ‘liking’ everything I would have to go without food and sleep! The verses made me laugh too and I love the illustrations.

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  18. This is one of my favorite children's books. I gave mine away when I was a child but finally found a copy on ebay a few years ago. They don't make children's books like these anymore!

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    1. Hi Sharon, It is a gorgeous little book, well done on finding one.

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx