Transcriber’s Note
  Italic text displayed as: _italic_




  :: DEDICATED TO ::
  THE NICEST CHILD IN
  THE WHOLE WORLD


  Printed in U. S. A.

[Illustration: Boy sleeping]




  ALL ABOUT
  LITTLE BOY BLUE

  [Illustration: Boy blowing horn with fairy]

  WRITTEN BY
  EMMA GELDERS STERNE

  PICTURED BY
  THELMA GOOCH

  NEW YORK
  CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY




The All About Series

_Price per volume, 40 Cents_


  “ALL ABOUT PETER RABBIT.” By Beatrix Potter. Pictured by Dick
  Hartley and L. Kirby-Parrish.

  “ALL ABOUT THE THREE BEARS.” Pictured by Dick Hartley and L.
  Kirby-Parrish.

  “ALL ABOUT THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.” Pictured by Dick Hartley and L.
  Kirby-Parrish.

  “ALL ABOUT MOTHER GOOSE.” Pictured by John B. Gruelle.

  “ALL ABOUT CINDERELLA.” Pictured by John B. Gruelle.

  “ALL ABOUT LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.” Pictured by John B. Gruelle.

  “ALL ABOUT THE LITTLE SMALL RED HEN.” Pictured by John B. Gruelle.

  “ALL ABOUT LITTLE BLACK SAMBO.” Pictured by John B. Gruelle.

  “ALL ABOUT HANSEL AND GRETHEL.” Pictured by John B. Gruelle.

  “ALL ABOUT THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.” Pictured by Gladys Hall.

  “ALL ABOUT LITTLE BOY BLUE.” Pictured by Thelma Gooch.


  CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY      New York

Copyright, 1924, by Cupples & Leon Company

_All About Little Boy Blue_




[Illustration: All about Little Boy Blue.]


Once upon a time there was a Little Boy called “Little Boy Blue,”
because that wasn’t his name. He lived on a farm with his mother and
daddie,

  And three cows,
  And ten woolly sheep,
  And a little white lamb,
  And a flower garden.

[Illustration: Lamb]

[Illustration: Lambs in pen]

Little Boy Blue loved the three cows, and the ten woolly sheep, and
the little white lamb; but most ’specially did he love the flower
garden and all the flowers in it.

[Illustration: Flowers]

One day his daddie brought him a blue horn with golden stars painted
on it. And when the Little Boy blew the horn it sounded mighty sweet
to him, like bread and honey;

[Illustration: Horn]

[Illustration: Boy on cow]

And it sounded mighty sweet to the cows in the meadow, like wavy
yellow corn;

[Illustration: Horn with stars]

And it sounded mighty sweet to the woolly sheep, like grass and
singing brooks; and it sounded mighty sweet to the white lamb, like
his mother calling him.

[Illustration: Lamb in stream]

[Illustration: Moon and fairy]

But to the fairies who lived in the garden it sounded sweetest of
all, like dancing in the moonlight.

Little Boy Blue played all day in the garden.

[Illustration: Bird on branch]

Until, when the shadows had put the sun to bed and the birds were
singing lullabies, the night wind came to the garden bearing a
message from his mother:

  “Come home, Little Boy Blue,
  Supper time, and bed time, too.
  Little Boy Blue, I’m calling you.”

[Illustration: Small boy]

The Little Boy tucked his blue horn with the golden stars under his
arm and waved “Good Night” to the flowers in the garden.

The roses bowed good-night, and the forget-me-nots courtesied
good-night, and the merry columbine nodded good-night, but one little
purple pansy was nowhere to be seen. I will tell you why:

[Illustration: Flower]

[Illustration: Boy blowing horn]

The pansy had crept into the horn, and when Little Boy Blue went home
the pansy went too, and when he was tucked into bed, with his blue
horn with golden stars beside him, the little purple pansy lay quiet
until

The moon looked in the window.

Then an exciting thing happened! You know, when the moon shines
the fairies leave their flower homes and dance in the meadow until
daylight. So when the first ray of moonlight climbed down the sky, up
jumped the purple pansy fairy and sang:

  “Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
  The fairies will dance on the meadow till morn.”

[Illustration: Boy in bed]

Little Boy Blue sat up and rubbed one eye, but before he could rub
the other eye the pansy fairy had whisked him out of the room and
down the stairs and into the meadow below the garden gate. He didn’t
forget the blue horn with the golden stars—the pansy fairy saw to
that.

The moonlight followed them into the meadow, and as the Little Boy
blew his horn all the fairy music came pouring out, like stars
playing tag with each other, and the fairy sang:

[Illustration: Boy in bed with fairy]

  “Under the greenwood tree
  Who loves to dance with me,
  Come hither, come hither, come hither.”

The fairies that lived in the flowers in the garden jumped up when
they heard the sound.

[Illustration: Fairy and flower]

Out of the tulip came a young lady fairy in a bright red skirt;

[Illustration: Fairy sitting in flower]

Out of the daisy a fat little boy in white;

Out of the forget-me-not a wee baby in blue;

[Illustration: Flower]

Out of the violet a darling little girl in palest purple;

[Illustration: Fairies in flowers]

Out of the roses lovely fairies, all in pink;

[Illustration: Fairy in pond]

And out of the water-lily nearest the fountain,

The queen of the fairies, in a white satin dress and golden crown.

She could open the gate by herself and she led the fairies out on the
green grass and they danced while Little Boy Blue played sweet music.

[Illustration: Fairy with wings spread]

[Illustration: Fairy dancing]

All night long they danced and danced, until first thing you know
they heard a sound. It was the cock telling them that morning was on
the way.

  “Cock-a-doodle-doo
  The sun is after you.
  The fairies all must go to sleep,
  And so must Little Boy Blue.
  Cock-a-doodle-doo.”

[Illustration: Chicken]

[Illustration: Boy playing horn to fairies]

[Illustration: Fairy flying]

The little purple pansy fairy was the last to go and just before she
left she threw some fairy dust into the Little Boy’s eyes.

And he rubbed his eyes and he rubbed his eyes, but the sleepy feel
wouldn’t go away. He dropped down by the hay-stack in the meadow and
before the morning sun could creep through the grasses he was fast
asleep.

The fairies hurried to the garden and cuddled in the flowers, for if
they don’t get in their beds in time the sun will change them into
butterflies and they must fly all day from flower to flower with
nowhere to rest. And they get so sleepy.

[Illustration: Fairy flying into flower]

And the sun woke the three cows and the ten woolly sheep and the
little white lamb, but it couldn’t wake Little Boy Blue because of
the fairy dust in his eyes.

[Illustration: Bird standing in water]

[Illustration: Boy standing with fairy above]

His daddie looked for him, and said:

  “Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn.
  The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
  Where is the little boy that tends the sheep?
  Under the hay-stack, fast asleep!”

Bye and bye he awoke and ran home to tell his mother all about his
remarkable adventure.

[Illustration: The End.]