MICE
I think mice are rather nice;
Their tails are long, their faces small;
They haven’t any chins at all.
Their ears are pink, their teeth are white,
They run about the house at night;
They nibble things they shouldn’t touch,
and, no one seems to like them much,
but, I think mice are rather nice.
Rose Fyleman
I learned this poem as a child and it has stuck with me ever since.
Want to have it here in case I ever forgot it. π
Have had a reader comment that the proper wording of this poem should be as follows. Note the absence of the word rather in the last line:
MICE
I think mice are rather nice;
Their tails are long, their faces small;
They haven’t any chins at all.
Their ears are pink, their teeth are white,
They run about the house at night;
They nibble things they shouldn’t touch,
and no one seems to like them much,
but I think mice are nice!
-Rose Fyleman
I learned the poem as I wrote it above, but I’m fine either way. π
Thanks for having this one there. I could not remember the line about the nibbling and now I have it.
Kim in Canada
I think the reason that this poem gets so many hits is that we all remember the first four lines and blank on the nibbling
oh quite probably. π
you are most welcome. This poem gets the highest hits of anything I have posted here. I find that fascinating. π
The poem is originally by A.A. Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh). You might want to change your citations to reflect this.
hmm… how do you know this? That’s not what my research brought up.
A. A. Milne wrote βmissing β a poem about a mouse. Not this one.
and your point would be? Fyleman wrote this, not Milne.
Thank you for having this peom that I also learnt at school 39 years ago so I could show a copy and teach my current Year 2 class at Doubleview Primary School in Perth, Australia.
Jane Bridgwood
When my 19 year old daughter brought home a pet mouse, this poem sprang to mind. I had learnt it in grade 2 at Doncaster Hieghts Primary in Melbouren in 1970! Amazing!
I learned this in 1964 or 1965 from a library book in my elementary school. Like you, it's been in my head ever since, but for some reason, I always attributed it to A.A. Milne. It's nice to know who the real author is.
We have a mouse in our house right now and the first few lines of this poem keep running thru my head. Couldn't remember the rest. Thanks for posting it. Mice may be nice, but I am ready to trap this guy!
mice are nice!
'Love this poem!!! I'm using it at school for poetry day. "Mice" was one of the poems I used in a poetry file while studying El. Ed. 35 years ago at WIU. Every so often I pull it out to use. Students think it's funny that I like it so much.~Barb
I learned this poem in 1st grade in Ohio (1979). I now have a 1st grader I'm going to teach it to. Can't believe such a sweet little poem has been around the world. Thanks for sharing.
This is a sweet poem;which I memorized in grade 3. I have always remembered it. To the person with mice in the house. Read up on Hantavirus. Mice droppings, urine, and saliva can be fatal. The poem is still cute.
Hantavirus can be a problem if a person fails to maintain cleanliness standards. Adequate ventilation when clearing out droppings is always a good idea, that and washing ones hands immediately thereafter.
Maintaining a pet mouse need not be a problem for any owner. π
Wow
I learned this poem in Grade 6 (I won't say how long ago, but it's been long enough lol) and had to recite it in front of my class. It's cool to see I'm not the only one to remember and like such a silly little poem. It is cute though and I too get funny looks from people when I say I like it. lol
Lori-Kim
My Father is 75, Was talking to him tonight and he remember all but the "Their ears are pink, their teeth are white" line. Was able to find it for him. Thanks for Sharing.
Darcy, Canada
Are you familiar with A.A. Milne's poem about the pet dormouse?
Henry IX
no I'm not, do you have a link to it?
I'm crying as I write this. I love this poem I learnt it in 1970 when I was just 5 years old and had forgotten some of it over the years but only two months ago I'd managed to rack my brain and lo' and behold I remembered every word. God bless the lady who created this poem; unknown to me it has brought joy to many chidren (now adults) Thank you whoever posted this. I learnt this in Brisbane Australia, 1970.
you are most welcome. π
had a reader write to me with this comment:
One comment:
The last line should not include the word "rather"…I suppose due to the addition of the word "but".
The following is the correct form of the poem.
Keep up the good work!
Nancy
MICE
I think mice are rather nice;
Their tails are long, their faces small;
They haven't any chins at all.
Their ears are pink, their teeth are white,
They run about the house at night;
They nibble things they shouldn't touch,
and no one seems to like them much,
but I think mice are nice!
-Rose Fyleman
I recited this poem at a school event when I was 5 or 6. It has stuck with me since, though what I can remember most are the first two lines only. I am now 22 and I love poetry. I write poems when I can and when I write, somehow this poem always comes to mind.
Nice Poem……
http://dhanushblog.blogspot.in/2012/06/poem-i-think-mice-are-rather-nice.html
this was my favourite poem as a child.. still is now!
thank you for stopping by. π
Thanks for this poem! I could't remember the lines! I won an english speaking competition reciting this and 50 years later i will recite it again tonight at a students-teachers' reunion, just for fun!! Thanks again!
you are most welcome. π
Thank you for sharing this poem. My 3rd grade pupils in Buenos Aires, Argentina, love it. I seem to remember seeing it written in the shape of a mouse's tail. Or is that another poem?
what r some of he figure of spech in his
I remember writing this poem out very carefully and entering it in the town fair, in the 1960's. It won first prize (for penmanship ) and I have always loved it. οΏ½οΏ½:)
Thanks for the poem! As a mouse loving child I used to recite this one from about age 3. I couldn't remember it all any more.
it's still a good poem, thank you all for your kind comments. π
This was my piece at elocution lessons many, many moons ago. Recited it many times in competitions and I'm sure I said "rather" as well.
I always had my first grade students memorize this poem starting in the 70's. I have never forgotten it. I would pull out books on their level about mice for them to read.
I learned this poem 55 yrs ago from a poetry book that had been my mother's as a child!!
wow… it's been around that long? neat to know.
For many years I had this poem stuck in my head.It was nice to finally find the time to search for the poem and find the words which I had forgotten. I learned that poem in the mid sixties here in Toronto Canada. Down with glue traps.!! Thank you
it's a great little poem isn't it? π
That is such a cute little poem and since it sounded familiar I have to guess I leaned it at one point too.
This came up in a search I was doing for this poem. The second one, without “nice”, is the correct version, as far as I know. As a first grade teacher, I taught it to all my students for many, many years. They probably can still recite it as adults now. I do hope many will remember it!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Hey… that might be when I learned it and I can still rhyme it off like no one’s business. π
βMimi na fakiri panya,
Ni wasouri sana..β
Which is, I believe, the Swahili translation of the first lines of this delightful poem.
It has always stuck in my head since I met a girl who taught it in Kenya. She later became my wife and a mother to our two sons.
Now passed away, but forever in our hearts.
Thank you for posting this – it brought back some wonderful memories.
oh what fun to learn the Swahili translation, thank you for stopping in!
Omw Me too. I was taught this poem as a kid and I still rem it. And I am 28 today!
I know! I’ve known it forever and can still rhyme it off. π
This brings back memories, of our younger daughter lined up on the stage with the other children in her kindergarten class, all dressed up, reciting this poem while each child held a small stuffed toy mouse, at the start of the Christmas concert. Thanks for the memories!
I still find myself reciting it, remembering it from back in the day. π
Iβm from South Texas. I remember this poem from 2nd grade.
a lot of people do, it’s a good poem. π
I remember this one from a ways back.
So, the book is put together by Nancy Larrick and Ed Young but it contains poems from many authors, even from A.A.Milne of Pooh bear fame. So I understand the confusion.
The book is, Mice Are Nice. ISBN# 039921495X 9780399214950.
thank you for that information! π
Thank you for posting. I learnt the poem in primary school in the fifties in South Africa. It came to me in the early hours of the morning as we have just discovered we have mice here in our house in New Zealand. I only remembered bits of it and looked it up so that I could share it withmy grandchildren.
I am so glad I could help you out.
Hi! I learned this cute poem in the 50’s without the “rather” in the last line. Another poem I learned for Oratory was about animals in a barn in winter. I can’t remember anything except that the horse had icicles on its nose. And I can’t find it anywhere!
oh, that brings back vague recollections… but I don’t recall enough of the words.