I am a terrible person and a worse blogger. At about 11 o’clock last night I realised I didn’t have blog written for this week, (my excuse, if anyone is interested, is I was writing fanfic) and I couldn’t stay up half the night blogging like I have done before as I start work at 8 on Friday.
So, long story short, here’s a poem for you instead.
The Ladybird
Ladybird, you’re very neat
From tiny head to little feet,
I like your coat of red and black,
I like your clean and shining back.
Do you polish it each night
To make it shine so gay and bright,
Or do you keep a tiny fay
Who rubs it up for you each day?
Beneath your shiny back there lie
The gauzy wings with which you fly,
You’re spreading them – oh please don’t go,
There’s such a lot I want to know.
Your house is burning, do you say?
Ah, well, of course, you mustn’t stay!
Poem originally written for Teachers World No.1576 Aug 9, 1933, taken from The Enid Blyton Poetry Book, 1934.
A ladybird I met on a walk at the Crags of Lundie.
Fiona
pippastef
worldofblyton
World of Blyton 
Lovely poem! If you are terrible, Fiona then I’d hate to think what I am!
Francis
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it is a very lovely poem it helps me in studying about the variations and history of a bird. it is the most marvellous work of enid mary blyton
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it is a great work done by enid mary blyton. i like and loves the poem very much because in the world there are some people who write about ladybird. because ladybird is a female clever insect. helps all the one insects who is in problem.
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Pingback: ‘The Ladybird’ by Enid Blyton | Poetry in Surrey Libraries
I cannot find it so I shall say it is I learnt it, at the age of about four.
One day a pixie small,
Sat on a toadstool under a wall,
Doing his work with a cross nibbed pen,
When a ladybird walked by, and then,
Suddenly his pen gave a splutter and scratch, and sent all over his book a patch,
Of inky blots and some of them fell,
Splash on the ladybirds back aswell.
Goodness me it’s beginning to rain she cried,
And scurried off down the lane.
But she never guessed that her pretty spots, came from the pixies inky blots.
And it might upset her if she knew. So please don’t tell her whatever you do.
Don’t know if it’s correct. I’m 70 now.
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Hi Bridget, that’s a lovely poem. Many people seem to have learned Blyton’s poems off by heart as children and still remember them many many years later.
Blyton wrote several poems about ladybirds. A couple even mention spots in their titles:
Why Ladybirds Have Spots on Their Wings
from Modern Teaching in the Infant School (Vols. 1-4) (The Home Library Book Company 1932)
The Ladybird’s Spots
from The Piper Poems – First Series – Book 1 (The Gregg Publishing Company 1933)
The Ladybird’s Spots
from News Chronicle Boys’ and Girls’ Story Book No. 2 (News Chronicle 1934)
The Ladybird’s Spots
from The Red Pixie Book (George Newnes 1934)
The three titled The Ladybird’s Spots may be the same poem published in different places. I don’t have copies of any of these titles so I’m afraid I can’t confirm if your poem is any of these. I will ask on the Enid Blyton Society Forums, though, as someone may recognise it.
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I have had some luck!
Here is the poem – and you were very very close to being correct.
Long ago when a pixie small
Sat on a toadstool under a wall,
Doing his sums with a cross-nibbed pen,
A ladybird hurried by – and then
The pixie’s pen gave a splutter and scratch
And sent all over his book a batch
Of inky blots – and some of them fell
Splash on the ladybird’s back as well!
“Goodness me, it’s beginning to rain!”
She cried, and scurried on down the lane,
And never guessed that her pretty spots
Came from the pixie’s inky blots!
It does appear in both The Piper Poems – First Series – Book 1 (The Gregg Publishing Company 1933) and News Chronicle Boys’ and Girls’ Story Book No. 2 (News Chronicle 1934).
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