Mistress Mary

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

It’s musical and dreamy. Perfect for bedtime because it invites visualization—flowers, shells, bells—without any conflict.

Story Synopsis

“Mistress Mary” is a traditional nursery rhyme that asks a simple question: “Quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” The answer isn’t practical—it’s poetic. The rhyme imagines a garden with “silver bells” and “cockle shells,” and “pretty maids all in a row.” It’s more like a tiny painting than a story. Each phrase adds a new image you can picture in your mind. At bedtime, you can read it slowly and invite your child to imagine their own gentle garden: what would grow there? What soft sounds would it make? It becomes a calm, creative moment before sleep.

Story Excerpt

High on a cliff above the shining sea, there was a little white cottage. In it lived a sailor and his wife, and their three children — two strong sons and a little girl named Mary. The sailor’s sons, Hobart and Robart, went to sea with him on a pretty ship called the Skylark. When the Skylark was at home, Mary was as happy as a warm sunbeam. Her father and brothers lifted her up, spun her around, and played gentle games with her. But when the Skylark sailed away, the cottage felt quiet. Mary and her mother listened to the wind and watched the waves, and Mary counted the days. One spring morning, when the grass on the cliff began to turn bright green and the trees put on soft new leaves, Mary’s father and brothers packed to leave for a long voyage. Mary climbed onto her father’s knee and pressed her cheek against his whiskers. “ And how long will you be gone, Papa? ” she asked. Her father stroked her curls. “ How long? A long time, my darling. Do you know the cowslips that grow in the pastures, Mary? ” “ Oh yes, ” said Mary. “ I look for them every spring. ” “ And the dingle - bells that grow near the edge of the wood? ” “ I know them, ” Mary said. “ Sometimes I pick their blue flowers. ” “ And how about the cockle - shells? ” Mary’s eyes brightened. “ I know those too. They have big white flowers. ” Her father nodded, serious and kind. “ Then listen, sweetheart. All the time it takes for…

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