Nursery Rhyme Retellings (Not just a little-kids' post)

by Jesse Exum

ORIGINAL:

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie.
He stuck in his thumb,
Pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"

RETELLING:

A little boy named Jack Horner sat in the corner of a room, eating his Christmas pie. He pulled a plum out of it and complimented himself.

ORIGINAL:

Rock-a-bye baby
In the treetop.
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall,
And down will come baby,
Cradle and all.

RETELLING:

A sleepy baby is high in a tree. When the wind blows, the cradle the baby is in will rock. When the branch the cradle is on breaks, the baby in the cradle will fall out of the tree, most likely to death or serious injury.