In this unit, we will learn about the rhyme ‘What are little boys made up of’. In this article, we will see the lyrics of the mentioned rhyme and also discuss what the verses of the rhyme imply. Takeaway points from this unit are:
Lyrics of the Rhyme ‘What Are Little Boys Made Up Of’
Summary of the Rhyme
Rhyming Words
Songs for Littles: An Introduction
‘What are little boys made up of’ is a nursery rhyme dating back to the 19th century. Its lyrics have been subjected to varied interpretations. Some claim that the nursery rhyme has a gender-biassed tonality towards boys and girls. Also, there is some confusion regarding the meaning of the words “snips and snails”. In the older versions, instead of “snips and snails”, frogs, slugs or snakes were used instead as synonyms for boys.
Lyrics of the Rhyme
Lyrics of the Rhyme ‘What are Little Boys Made Up Of’
Let us learn the modern variant of the rhyme.
What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails
And puppy-dogs’ tails,
That’s what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And everything nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.
What are Little Girls Made Up Of
The rhyme also exists in some other versions. For example, in other versions, it is mentioned that the boys are made up of “snaps”, “frogs”, “snakes”, or “slugs”, rather than “snips”, which is mentioned in the above version.
Summary of the Rhyme ‘What Are Little Boys Made Up Of’
The rhyme ‘What Are Little Boys Made Up Of’ is a nursery rhyme representing the difference between boys and girls. It said that boys and girls are alike. In the lyrics of the rhyme, it is mentioned that little boys are made up of snips and snails and puppy dogs' tails. The little girls are made up of sugar and spice, but everyone is nice.
In this way, the difference between the nature of boys and girls is expressed in a rhyme. There are many variants of the rhyme for example, in some versions, instead of snips, some other words are used, like snaps, frogs etc.
Rhyming Words
Rhyming words refer to those words which have the same ending sound. We will understand more about rhyming words by taking some examples from the lyrics of the rhyme. In this rhyme, rhyming words are
Snails-tails
Spice-nice
Conclusion
The rhyme ‘What are little boys made up of’ is a nursery rhyme written by an English poet. This rhyme refers to the differences in boys and girls. Many variants of the rhyme can be referred to from the Internet.
FAQs on What are Little Boys Made of Nursery Rhyme for Kids
1. What are little boys made up of?
Little boys are made up of frogs, snails, and puppy dogs’ tails.
2. Who wrote ‘What are little boys made up of’?
‘What are little boys made up of’ is written by Robert Southey. Robert Southey was an English poet of the romantic school of thought.
3. What are little girls made up of?
In the rhyme, little girls are made up of sugar and spice; and all are nice.
In this unit, we will learn about the rhyme ‘What are little boys made up of’. In this article, we will see the lyrics of the mentioned rhyme and also discuss what the verses of the rhyme imply. Takeaway points from this unit are:
Lyrics of the Rhyme ‘What Are Little Boys Made Up Of’
Summary of the Rhyme
Rhyming Words
