The poem describes five little monkeys swinging in a tree and teasing an uncle crocodile to come and bite them. As they continue swinging and taunting the crocodile, one monkey gets gobble up. The remaining four monkeys then sit drearily in the trees, crying over the loss of their brother to the wicked crocodile. The second poem is a humorous take on an elephant trying to use a telephone but getting his trunk tangled in it. The more he tries to free it, the louder the phone buzzes.

1. The Monkeys and the
Crocodile
Laura E. Richards

2. Five little monkeys
Swinging from a tree;
Teasing Uncle Crocodile,
Merry as can be.
Swinging high, swinging low
Swinging left and right
“Dear Uncle Crocodile,
Come and take a bite!”
Five little monkeys
Swinging in the air;
Heads up, tails up
Little do they care.
Swinging up, swinging down,
Swinging for the near;
“Poor Uncle Crocodile
Aren’t you hungry dear?”

3. Four little monkeys
Sitting in the trees;
Heads down, tails down,
Dreary as can be.
Weeping loud, weeping low,
Crying to each other,
“Wicked Uncle Crocodile,
To gobble up our brother.”

4. Eletelephony
Laura E. Richards

5. Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant---
No! No! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone ---
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I got it right).
How’er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee ---
(I fear I’d better drop the song of elephop and
telephong!)