The Blurb On The Back:

In the Land of the Bumbley Boo

All the mice go Clang!

Hello Jolly Guardsman

But a Hippopotamus Could eat the Lotofus!

The wonderful Bumbley BOO!!!

And Edser, in bed sir, was dead sir

Hello Jolly Guardsman

And Bottles of Dandelion Stew

Hello Mr Python

The People are red white and blue

English Teeth, English Teeth!

I’m not frightened of Pussy Cats

English Teeth, English Teeth!

While an elephant raised his hat

You must never bath in an Irish Stew

Look at all those monkeys

On the Ning Nang Nong

But a Hippopotamus Could eat the Lotofus!

And Edser, in bed sir, was dead sir 

You can buy SILLY VERSE FOR KIDS by Spike Milligan from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

This is an illustrated collection of 34 silly verse for children aged 9+ by Spike Milligan, including On The Ning Nang Nong, A Thousand Hairy Savages and Today I Saw A Little Worm.  Some of the illustrations in the version I read (published in 1968) don’t really pass for modern day attitudes but the verses themselves are brilliantly silly and ripe with Milligan’s distinctive voice and I think that kids will love the rhyming and the sheer fun of them.

I picked this up because I read a lot of Spike Milligan’s work as a kid because my dad was a big Goon Show fan.  The version I read was published in 1968 (although there is a current reprint available) and featured reprints of verse first published in 1959, 1961 and 1963.  There’s always a risk when reading older versions that some of the book is very much of its time with regard to race or gender but the verse here all pretty much stands up to modern standards.  There is a current version of the book available, which no doubt avoids any potential objections.

There are so many silly poems in here that adults probably know without knowing that they know them, e.g. On The Ning Nang Nong and A Thousand Hairy Savages.  They’re all very short – some no more than one stanza – and they all rhyme, which is a great way to get children enthusiastic about English vocabulary, especially if they’re reluctant readers.

All in all, this is a fun ride through typical Milligan lunacy and it’s one that brought a smile to my face from beginning to end.