Healthy Bunny

Chapter I. Pure Food And Water Healthy Bunny

Hark to the tale of Healthy Bunny! Good health is worth a mint of money;

If you are good, you’ll eat pure food, And drink pure water as you should.

Old Mother Bun shook her wise old head as she heard Healthy Bunny skipping down stairs two steps at a time singing to himself,

“Hippety-hop, hippety-hop,

When I skip along I hate to stop.”

Old Mother Bun called Healthy Bunny back in a few minutes for he was skipping off to school without any breakfast. She remarked,

“Breakfast first, then do not fail To pack a lunch in your dinner-pail.”

So, Healthy Bunny saw there was nothing to do but to draw his chair up to the table and begin to eat breakfast food, for he wanted to go to school.

Old Father Bun looked at Healthy Bunny. He looked over his horn-rimmed spectacles and said,

“Healthy Bunny, as a rule,

Eat before you go to school.”

Old Mother Bun’s eyes twinkled as she said,

“At noon your appetite won’t fail;

What shall I put in your dinner-pail?”

Healthy Bunny was usually up time enough in the morning to pack his own dinner-pail but to-day he was late so he said what he wanted for lunch, and Old Mother Bun gave him two peanut butter sandwiches and a piece of brown bread. She gave him a peach and piece of sweet chocolate wrapped in wax paper. She put in his own little drinking cup.

Healthy Bunny took his own little dinner pail and went off through the woods as happy as happy could be. He met other little Bunnies on the way to school, but when they got to school the most surprising thing met their eyes!

On the school building was a sign, “CLOSED FOR REPAIRS.”

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,” cried some of the Bunnies who did not like to go to school, but some of the Bunnies were disappointed until Healthy Bunny said,

“Sit down in a circle and be good;

We’ll have our own school in the woods.”

So those cute little Bunnies set down their dinner pails and sat themselves down in a circle and learned a verse Healthy Bunny taught them.

“ ‘F’ stands for food,” said Healthy Bunny;

“Don’t you think my rhymes are funny? For simple food let’s spend our money; Hark to me!” says Healthy Bunny.

One little Bunny got so thirsty he could not sit still a minute longer, though the lessons in the out door school had just begun, so he ran hippety hop off to a nice fresh spring and had a cool drink.

Healthy Bunny looked all round his class and said,

“I will ask each Cotton Tail, son and daughter,

Before each meal do you drink pure water?”

Some of the Furry Family said they took a drink now and then when they felt thirsty, but had no regular time to drink and Heedless Bunny said he liked strong coffee, and Homeless Bunny said wherever he went he begged for a cup of tea.

“If you want to be healthy as can be, Please don’t drink much coffee or tea/’

“What may we drink then?” asked Happy Bunny, a dear little fellow who always wore a smiling face.

“Water and milk, you very well know, Will always help to make you grow.”

So many Bunnies had forgotten to eat breakfast that Healthy Bunny told them what Old Mother Bun said, and he continued,

“I fear we are all too fond of meat;

Some vegetables each day please eat.”

Then a shout arose, “Cabbage and carrots, cabbage and carrots,” and it was some time before this cute little school in the woods came to order. Then the Bunnies named all the vegetables and fruits they could, and said it was a healthy thing to eat plenty of them.

“I think we’ll keep a healthy chart handy; How many of you do like some candy?”

To the surprise of all, Homeless Bunny said,

“I’m afraid I’ll turn into candy soon.”

Sure enough, he was always seen with a little bag of candy, and he ate so much sweets he never had an appetite for his meals.

Heedless Bunny said he ate candy and ice cream cones and peanuts until he never knew when to stop. He ate so many sweet things he was often ill.

All the little Furry people sat up very straight. They expected Healthy Bunny to scold them for eating sweets, but he only turned a somersault and said,

“After meals, let me repeat,

You may eat candy as a treat.”

He said while it was harmful to eat candy all the time some sweet is good for us all, and we can wisely eat a little candy after dinner.

Happy Bunny loved to go about singing, and he said,

“Please teach us to write a little verse;

I can’t spell much prose and rhymes are worse.”

Healthy Bunny replied,

“If well and strong you’d like to feel, Eat bread and butter with each meal; If you will heed what I have said, You will like to eat dark bread.”

The Bunnies could sit still no longer. They began to skip hippety hop, to dance and sing,

“A child, as well as a little Bunny,

Often acts in ways quite funny.”

Heedless Bunny said, “Some children eat much too fast, and I guess I do too; you should just see me nibble, nibble.”

Homeless Bunny said,

“We might really better feel,

If we’d sit after a meal.”

Honey Bunny who had a sweet tooth shouted,

“Your health talks often interest me, But I’ve a sweet tooth, as you see.”

They all opened their dinner pails and were just going to eat lunch when Healthy Bunny said,

“Think how much cleaner you will feel, To wash paws before each meal.”

Off went the Bunnies to the spring and dipped their paws into the water. Back they came, and began to eat in a shocking manner. They were so hungry, they forgot their manners, and Healthy Bunny said,

“To be strong and healthy, if you would, You must learn to chew your food.”

Healthy Bunny saw that some of the dinner pails were packed every which way so he shouted,

“Wrap each sandwich out of sight In wax paper neat and tight;

And do not do your lunch pail up Without your little drinking cup.”

By and by the lunch in the woods was over and the little Furry Family went homeward.

Happy Bunny said, “I can make up the words to a little song, but what tune shall we sing it to?”

Homeless Bunny answered, looking up through the trees, “See the stars twinkle, twinkle.”

Heedless Bunny thought for once in his life and remarked, “Let us sing your words to the tune of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’.” So the Bunnies sang as they went homeward,

“Little Bunnies always should Try to eat the purest food;

Bread and butter every day Is good food for us, we say.

Healthy Bunnies, this we do,

Try to drink pure water, too;

Sweet and clean if we would feel,

We would wash before each meal.”

Happy Bunny waved good by as they came to the gate that led to Healthy Bunny’s home. Homeless Bunny said, “I will come inside to visit you some day,”

but Heedless Bunny went on without a word.

Old Mother Bun stood in the doorway with a lighted candle in her hand.

Just one thing would Old Mother Bun say,

“Healthy Bunny, did you lose your way?” Old Father Bun said,

“To worry, I think, is never wise;” Twinkle, twinkle, went his brown eyes.

Healthy Bunny kissed them both remarking,

“Your advise is worth more than money; Good night, good night, sings Healthy Bunny.”

Chapter II Early To Bed

“ ‘E’ stands for ‘Early To Bed’;”

That is what Healthy Bunny said.

“If you’d be healthy as could be,

You’d take some hours of rest with me.”

One day Healthy Bunny said to Old Mother Bun,

“May I give invitation hearty To a little week end party?”

Healthy Bunny was a good little fellow so Old Mother Bun told him he might have four little Bunnies come to visit him from Saturday until Monday, so Healthy Bunny went off with a hippety hop. He called on Heedless Bunny and Homeless Bunny and Honey Bunny and they were delighted to come to his week end party.

What a good time they had!

They never even noticed it was bed time until the Town Clock boomed out in a rather loud voice,

“Time for bed, time for bed,”

That is what the Town Clock said,

“Little sisters, little brothers,

Seven for some, and eight for others.”

All the clocks then began to behave in a comical manner, and they talked in real voices instead of their usual tick tock.

“Go early to bed, go early to bed.”

That’s what the clock in the kitchen said.

The clock in the living room surprised them all by remarking,

“Some Bunnies want to linger longer, But if you’d grow up tall and stronger, This thing you would do instead,

Early you’d rise, and go early to bed.”

Happy Bunny laughed and said, “At home I do sometimes beg to stay up a little longer.”

Homeless Bunny said,

“I go to bed whenever I please,

Under the cabbage leaves or the trees.”

Heedless Bunny did not pay any attention to what the others were saying but went on playing a game of solitaire.

“My little alarm clock tried to scold,

And said, ‘Go to bed without being told’.”

Old Mother Bun looked hard over her knitting and Old Father Bun looked ovqt his horn-rimmed spectacles and the little Bunnies danced and capered about crying,

“Good night, we’ll sleep tight,

And go to bed by candle light.”

Off they went, each one carrying a candle and singing merry little songs. One song they sang to the tune of “My Bonnie,” in a College Song Book, and will you believe it! before they had sung the chorus nineteen times, the Sandman had come and put most of them to sleep. The EARLY TO BED SONG sounded like this,

“So merrily we are all singing,

Of good health for you and for me;

And early to bed we are bringing Some new ideas, you will agree.”

Chorus.

“Singing, singing,

Early to bed go if you are wise; Singing, singing,

Come close up your two sleepy eyes.

“The Sandman will come to us creeping, And many’s the tale we have read; Bright dreams he brings, when we are sleeping,

So now we go EARLY TO BED.”

All the Bunnies fell asleep except Heedless Bunny. He was wide awake and got up and looked about the room.

He felt homesick for his papa and mama and began to cry. He cried so loudly that all the visiting Bunnies woke up and began to cry too.

Old Mother Bun laid down her knitting and Old Father Bun took off his horn-rimmed spectacles and they went up stairs to see what was the matter. By and by, they coaxed Heedless Bunny back to bed.

Old Mother Bun said,

“I’ll tell you a story, we’ll turn down the light,

And soon you’ll be saying, ‘Good night, good night’.”

She took her knitting up again and began—

Once upon a time there was a little Bunny who always heard some one saying, “EARLY TO BED,” and one night he was so contrary he decided to stay up all night.

He sat m his little red rocking chair while the Cuckoo came out calling, “nine, ten, eleven, twelve.”

Still that foolish little Bunny would not go to bed.

He watched the shadows on the wall, And said, “I’ll not go to bed AT ALL.”

“You won’t, indeed,” said a voice, and a Wide Awake Fairy came and sat beside him and hummed such a sleepy song he had to pinch himself to keep awake.

Then the Wide Awake Fairy called him to follow and they went out and sat in a hammock that rocked to and fro, to and fro, in the most provoking and sleepy manner. He was just closing his eyes when the Fairy bumped him out and the old moon stared and said,

“Fm looking down from overhead;

Let’s never let him go to bed.”

My, what a night that Bunny had! He was kept awake ’till day break.

Then the Wide Awake Fairy said, “Good day,

Fm off and away, off and away.”

The next day Bunny was cross and tired, and said,

“I’ll pull the covers up over my head And go early to bed, early to bed.”

So that night he went to bed early and the Wide Awake Fairy said,

“He went to bed early as he should;

I hope he’ll wake up happy and good.”

Old Mother Bun had finished her story,

Her knitting needles went click, click We all must quiet keep.

Her knitting needles went click, click; The Bunnies were asleep.

Next morning Old Father Bun was quiet.

He smoked a while, and then he said, ‘Tve a story in the back of my head.”

He was a jolly old fellow but had never been known to hurry in all his life, so all the Bunnies sat politely waiting for him to begin, though of course they were eager to hear his story. By and by he began and told his story in rhyme.

He said, “Once upon a time I learned to talk in simple rhyme; There was a little girl very sweet;

She lived, indeed, upon our street:

And there was a pleasant little boy Who did nothing to annoy,

Only I heard that their parents said They never wanted to go to bed.

Could we teach them, in story and song, To want to go to bed ere long?

Some little message could we write,

So they’ll WANT to go to bed at night?”

Happy Boy shouted, “I know, I know.”

Healthy Bunny said, “I have an idea.”

Homeless Bunny sat very still and Heedless Bunny turned a somersault. Honey Bunny ran off to find something sweet.

Now those dear little Bunnies all put their heads together and decided they would cut out two big pasteboard Bunnies as large as they were, and give one to the little girl and boy who lived on that street to take Early To Bed with them.

Wouldn’t it be fun to go to bed with Bunnies for company?

On the back of each Bunny they wrote,

“Carry this message to each finger, Undress quickly, do not linger;

If you heed what Bunny said,

You’ll brush teeth on the way to bed; Be good then and put out the light, Before we say to you good night;

If you go Early to Bed, it seems The Sandman will bring you pleasant dreams;

You’ll not feel lonesome now in bed,

For we’ll be waiting there instead; Now, if you think these rhymes are funny,

Just go to bed with your little Bunny.”

The little boy and girl were pleased with their Bunnies, you may be sure, and Healthy Bunny’s visitors went home.

Happy Bunny remarked,

“I’ll remember every word you said, Early To Bed, Early To Bed.”

The other Bunnies waved good bye.

Old Mother Bun said, “I’m sad because I see soiled face and soiled paws.”

Old Father Bun said, “I see what you mean;

To-morrow we’ll talk about being clean.”

Healthy Bunny sat still a long time and he wrinkled up his nose in a comical manner, then he said in a sing-song kind of way,

“’Tis a funny hour to rub and scrub,

But I’ll introduce myself to the tub.”

Splash, dash, he went into the tub and Old Mother Bun dried him on a turkish towel. She said, “To-morrow w0 will hold school in our own school yard, and you can teach the other Bunnies about being clean;” but they did not hold school in their own yard next day or next week. Can you guess the reason why?

CHAPTER III KEEPING CLEAN “I often talk,” said Healthy Bunny

“In rhymes that sound to you quite funny; To be useful I always mean,

So I’ll talk about keeping clean.”

So sang Healthy Bunny one morning early. He got up so early the dew-drops were still on the flowers, and the last fairies were just whisking away out of sight.

He ran down the path and saw a little fellow coughing so hard he nearly coughed his head off.

The strange Bunny said, between a cough and a sneeze,

“I know you’ll think I’m rather funny; My real name is Raggedy Bunny.

I’ve troubles enough, troubles enough, I’m just getting over whooping cough.”

The stranger looked like a Rag Bunny sure enough.

Healthy Bunny was so kind-hearted he invited him in and they had a happy day, until Doctor Bunny came and put a great card on the house, “WHOOP- ING COUGH.”

Then Old Mother Bun said,

“It seems to me, it’s pretty rough,

We’re quarantined for whooping cough.”

Healthy Bunny said, “What becomes of the Bunny school?”

Old Father Bun replied,

“Write a letter, if that’s what you mean, You want to teach Bunnies to keep clean.”

Now it happened that Raggedy Bunny was a great writer so he and Healthy Bunny set to work to write a letter to all the Bunnies in the woods. Raggedy Bunny began the letter by saying,

“We hope each Bunny, every place, Really likes to wash his face.”

The Healthy Bunny wrote,

“We’ll open an out-door school some day, But Raggedy Bunny has come to stay; To stay inside seems rather tough,

But we must get over whooping cough; Far and wide, o’er the world I seek For a Bunny who bathes more than once a week;

It should be fun to rub and scrub,

If you have your own bath tub.”

In a few days the fun began, for the Bunny Postman brought in letters, big letters, little letters, middle-size letters.

The letters were from Bunnies in the woods and Bunnies in town who wanted to learn Good Health Lessons and who wanted to be clean. Very few Bunnies wrote that they bathed more than once a week, and very many did not bathe that often, though one and all agreed that they did feel better after a good, warm, soapy bath.

By and by Raggedy Bunny got so much better he and Healthy Bunny were allowed to go into the yard, and all the other Bunnies came to call and stood on the other side of the fence. They had come to learn Good Health lessons.

“Some folks are careless beyond belief,

I’ll teach you rules of the handkerchief.”

He asked all the Bunnies to get out their handkerchiefs, all sizes, shapes and colors.

“Healthy Bunny gives fair warning,

You should use your handkerchief every morning.”

He continued, “We all want clean noses, of course, and I want to remind you to use your handkerchiefs quietly. How terrible it sounds to make a noise with a handkerchief. If you must sneeze or cough, please cover your nose with your handkerchief.”

At that very minute Raggedy Bunny retired behind a rose bush and coughed as quietly as he could.

“To be clean please do not fail.

Clean each shining little nail.”

The Bunnies one and all agreed it was very hard to remember to clean their nails.

Healthy Bunny reminded them that the Squirrel family were always busy washing their paws and faces, and that the Bird Family dearly loved to take baths.

“All but Sparrows,” remarked Heedless Bunny.

Homeless Bunny said, “They take dust baths anyway.”

Happy Bunny smiled so much he showed his pretty, white shining teeth. This reminded Healthy Bunny to talk about keeping teeth clean.

He remarked,

“Little Bunnies, I hope you mean

To brush your teeth and keep them clean.”

Now, will you believe it! forty-nine of those little Bunnies owned no tooth brushes.

So off they went hippety hop,

Off and away to the drug store shop; And with their dimes I heard them cry, “We’ve come a good tooth brush to buy.”

Back they came to talk to Healthy Bunny, very proud of their new tooth brushes, you may be sure.

He taught them to brush their teeth right, left, up and down, inside and out, in the proper manner. He said, “We should all brush our teeth after meals, at morning and bed time.”

They all sang a little song to a tune they all knew, which you have sung to many times, called, “Lightly Row.”

“Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, Brush your teeth and keep them clean; Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, For Good Health ’twill mean;

See your teeth are clean and white; Every morning, noon and night,

Brush your teeth, brush your teeth; Always keep them clean.”

When the Bunnies went home they drew a picture of a tooth brush and wrote under it,

“Use me carefully, please do,

Now Fve been introduced to you.”

They drew a picture of a bath tub and wrote under it,

“Useful things we all discover;

It feels good to bathe all over.”

By and by Healthy Bunny went into the house, and Raggedy Bunny sat under the rose bush thinking. When bed time came, he was nowhere to be seen.

Old Mother Bun laid down her knitting and Old Father Bun laid aside his pipe, and they looked from garret to cellar. No Raggedy Bunny was in sight, and that was not the worst of their troubles. Old Mother Bun’s best sun bonnet was missing and Old Father Bun’s little silver watch that every one loved.

His silver watch had a wonderful trick, It sang a song as it went “tick, tick.”

“Do you think he stole?” said Father Bun, looking troubled.

Old Mother Bun shook her head.

“Do not make this sad mistake,

A stranger in your house to take.”

“I’m sorry about this friend of mine; We’ll take down the Whooping Cough sign.”

Next day he saw Old Mother Bun upset without her sun-bonnet and Old Father Bun so upset without his silver watch that he muttered,

“It really makes me almost sick To go without that ‘tick, tick, tick’.”

So, Healthy Bunny put on his best bib and tucker, and went off to find Raggedy Bunny and beg him to return the lost articles, if he had taken them.

He met Happy Bunny, who said,

“Where are you going, Healthy Bunny?” To which Healthy Bunny replied,

“The distance in miles I cannot measure; I’m going to look for a lost treasure.”

Don’t you think it was kind of him not to tell the other Bunnies what he thought Raggedy Bunny had done?

Next he met Homeless Bunny, who said, “Whither away?”

Healthy Bunny answered,

“I’ll get somewhere, goodness knows,

If I follow my nose and watch my toes.”

Heedless Bunny joined them and said,

“Where are you going?” Healthy Bunny answered,

“I’m going to do a thing that’s wise, I’m going to take some exercise.”

So they all ran on ’till they came to a sign, “Five miles to Good Health Town,” and they sat down to rest a while.

Healthy Bunny twinkled his little eyes And said, “Let’s talk of exercise.”

*

Chapter IV. Healthy Exercise

Every Bunny who is wise Will take proper exercise;

Exercise when you are small,

Then you’ll grow up, strong and tall.

One morning Healthy Bunny got up and put on his roller skates and skated round the block twice, then he came in and said,

“Old Mother Bun, I don’t want to tease, But I am ready for breakfast, please.”

He sat down and ate every bit of his oat meal and drank a glass of milk. Sometimes when he did not exercise he did not really want any breakfast. Did you ever wake up feeling that way?

“I’ll tell you a story, in song and rhyme, It begins this way, ‘Once on a time’.”

He had only gotten that far when “Rap-a-tap” was heard on the door and in walked Homeless Bunny, saying,

“I’ve walked so far my paws are lame, But still I’m very glad I came.”

He sat down as Old Mother Bun invited him to have some breakfast, and then he said, “I met Little Elf Exercise the other day, and I had so much fun chasing about with him over hill and dale I got as tired as tired could be, and my poor paws hurt me so much that I cried and cried.”

Old Mother Bun bandaged up Homeless Bunny’s poor paws after breakfast and made him sit down on her blue plush sofa for an hour and sixteen minutes, and she said,

“Any Bunny who is really wise Will not take too much exercise.”

They all thought they heard some one chuckle. Could it be Elf Exercise hidden away?

Old Father Bun began again to tell his story.

“Now I’m willing to bet a dime I’ll tell my story, ‘Once on a time.’ ”

“Rap-a-tap,” sounded on the door and in walked Heedless Bunny, crying because of a stomach ache. He said,

“You don’t know how bad I feel;

I exercised right after my meal.”

Old Mother Bun said that was a very foolish thing to do, and she made Heedless Bunny drink a cup of hot water and sit in a little red rocking chair by the grate fire, while Old Father Bun, not a bit discouraged by interruptions, began again to tell his story.

“I’ve told this story in every clime,

It always starts ‘Once on a time’.”

“Rap-a-tap,” sounded on the door, and in walked Happy Bunny. He limped a little and remarked,

“Even a Happy Bunny cries,

With too much of one kind of exercise.”

He said he had jumped the rope until he was stiff and lame, and Healthy Bunny remarked,

“You know I really think it wise To take different kinds of exercise.”

Then he got out some cute little wooden dumb-bells and Homeless Bunny forgot his hurt paw, and Heedless Bunny forgot his stomach-ache and Happy Bunny forgot his limp, and they all played a game of “Follow the Leader,” with Healthy Bunny going through dumb-bell exercises with them.

Healthy Bunny remarked,

“I have something more to say,

Enjoy your exercise each day.”

He said exercise did not do us very much good if we did not enjoy it and he said we could often make a game out of work and enjoy it as much as play.

They were in the kitchen, and to the surprise of all the Kitchen Clock sang out,

“Who’ll wind up the Kitchen Clock? Tick-tock, tick-tock.”

W'

He Jumped Rope Until He Was Stiff and Lame

Homeless Bunny sprang up on a stool and wound it up, saying,

“This is making play of work;

Though a little fellow, I never shirk.”

The Tea Kettle next sang out,

“Any thoughtful son or daughter Would keep me filled with pure water.”

The Wood-Box found a voice and remarked,

“If exercise is really good,

Why don’t you fill me up with wood?”

In and out, in and out, ran the Bunnies bringing in wood and water and the Old Broom called,

“I will interrupt once more,

Why don’t you stop and sweep the floor?”

They took turns sweeping the floor and Old Father Bun, not one particle discouraged, began once more,

“Elf Exercise just loves to climb,

So I’ll begin, ‘Once on a time’.”

A low chuckle was heard and in danced Elf Exercise himself. He got all the Bunnies to dancing and interrupted the telling of Old Father Bun’s story, of course, though he did manage to make them hear him when he said, in a sing-song kind of way,

“To be healthy every one tries;

Do you take too little exercise?

You may take too much, or after a meal. If you run too soon, how queer you feel.”

Elf Exercise sang,

“Furry little Gentlemen,

Breathe deeply, count to ten.”

The Bunnies said it was fun to take deep breaths and count to ten.

The little Elf said we should all form the habit of drawing deep breaths, specially when we were exercising out doors. We should take in plenty of fresh air, and he said that breathing pure air helped to make pure blood.

Elf Exercise said,

“Every Bunny, if he tries,

Can take regular exercise.”

He told the Bunnies it was foolish to take a great deal of exercise one day and none at all the next; in this way we would only make our muscles lame and sore. Homeless Bunny nodded his head gravely.

Elf Exercise led all the Bunnies in a race outside and finally vanished back of a rose bush and was off and away in the twinkling1 of an eye.

Healthy Bunny ran round the rose bush to look for him and there he saw a blue string; he drew it out and there was Old Mother Bun’s lost sun-bonnet.

All the Bunnies were happy, you may be sure, to think Raggedy Bunny had not taken it.

Old Father Bun said he hoped his little silver watch would turn up in the same unexpected manner.

When Healthy Bunny asked him to begin to tell his story again he answered that he really thought Healthy Bunny had told it for him, but he added,

“To exercise and healthy keep,

We must take long breaths and deep; And we learned it’s a safe way,

To exercise out-doors each day;

And no matter how well we feel,

We’ll not exercise right after a meal; And every Bunny, if he is wise,

Will take regular exercise;

And a Bunny, to be strong,

Will not exercise too hard or long; Every Healthy Bunny tries To take different kinds of exercise.”

All the Bunnies said, “Tell it again, tell it again,” but Old Father Bun replied, “What was that little song you were humming to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” a while ago?”