Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.

The rhyme describes Mary’s close bond with her little lamb and how the lamb faithfully follows her everywhere she goes, even to school. The presence of the lamb brings joy and amusement to the children, but it ultimately leads to the teacher asking the question of why the lamb loves Mary so much. The answer provided is that Mary loves the lamb in return. The rhyme has been enjoyed by generations of children and is often used as a song or a finger play.