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Doctor Foster

Quick Answer

A tiny nursery rhyme about Doctor Foster who travels to Gloucester, steps in a puddle, and can’t come home. A simple, rhythmic tale for little ones about small mishaps and being helped.

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s short, singable, and lightly humorous. You can read it twice, then add a calm one-sentence reassurance: ‘Even when we get messy, we can get warm and safe again.’

Story at a Glance

RECOMMENDED AGES

2-7 years

READING TIME

1 min

THEMES
gentleconsequencesconsequencesgentle
Also available inEspañol

Story Synopsis

Doctor Foster goes to Gloucester, and something very ordinary goes wrong: he steps into a deep puddle and gets soaked. The rhyme turns the moment into a playful exaggeration—he’s so wet that he can’t come home right away. For young children, the fun is in the rhythm and the picture: a grown-up in a silly, splashing mishap. It’s also a gentle way to name a common experience—getting wet, feeling bothered, needing help—and to remind kids that little problems can be handled. After you read it, you can add a soothing bedtime ‘ending’ in your own words: Doctor Foster dries off, changes into warm clothes, and everything is okay.

Story Excerpt

Doctor Foster went to Glo'ster, In a shower of rain; He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle, And never went there again.

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In One Glance

Doctor Foster is a short nursery rhyme about a trip to Gloucester and a big puddle that leaves Doctor Foster soaked and unable to come home. The humor is gentle and the rhythm is the main delight. It can be followed with a reassuring note that small mishaps pass and we get warm and safe again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Una rima infantil donde el doctor pisa un charco en Gloucester y queda empapado.

No; es un accidente chistoso.

Entre 2 y 6 años.

Los accidentes pequeños pasan: nos secamos y nos sentimos mejor.