Joanna Comes For A Holiday

Percy the Postman came calling one day
To see Mummy Mouse, who was singing away,
Happily working just doing her chores,
Dusting and sweeping and mopping the floors.
'Hello, Mrs Mouse, I've a letter for you,'
Said Percy the Postman, 'for Mr Mouse too!'

Wiping her hands on her pink pinafore,
She looked at the letter, then looked a bit more.
'Who would be writing to us?' Mummy frowned,
Turning the letter around and around.
Percy the Postman just smiled and replied,
'You might find the answer is on the inside!'

Mummy Mouse opened the letter and smiled,
'It's from Joanna, my cousin's young child.
'She says that her mummy has asked her to write,
To ask me if she could stay a few nights.
Her mummy was poorly and needed to rest,
The doctor had said it would be for the best.'

Mummy Mouse hastily scribbled a note,
Thanking her niece for the letter she wrote.
She said that of course, she must come straight away,
And that everyone here would just love her to stay.
Percy told Mummy, 'It won't take me long
To get to your cousin.' Then he was gone!

The boys both grinned when they heard mummy say,
Joanna the Gerbil was coming to stay.
They looked at each other, then went dashing out
To see if their friends were somewhere about.
They found Reggie asleep down at Popsicorn Bog,
Snoring so loudly, they gave him a prod!

Reggie Rat yawned and then opened his eyes,
And stared at his friends with total surprise.
'I must have dozed off,' he said trying to stand,
As Tommy bent over to give him a hand.
'We've just had some news, and we can't wait to tell,
But let's find the others and tell them as well.'

Reggie was curious, he wanted to know,
'Can't you just tell me, and then we can go?'
Timmy Mouse laughed, grabbing hold of his arm,
And pulling him, said, 'They'll be down at the farm.'
Running together, they raced down the track,
And sure enough, they were by the haystack.

Inside the haystack, which now was their den,
Timmy and Tommy Mouse told all their friends,
'Joanna, our cousin is coming to stay,
She lives in a village, not too far away.'
'How very exciting!' said Millie the Mole,
'When is she coming?' asked Vicky the Vole.

Tommy Mouse frowned, 'Our mum didn't say,
Just that she's coming and going to stay.'
'Let's go to your house and talk to your mum,
I'm sure she will know when Joanna will come.'
'Could we go and meet her?' asked Reggie the Rat,
And Timmy replied, 'I wish I'd thought of that!'

Mummy Mouse opened the oven and smiled,
'These buns should help me to welcome the child.'
Just then all the youngsters walked in through the door,
And she thought to herself, 'I'm so glad I made more!'
'Did you all smell my baking?' she asked everyone,
As they walked to the table, 'So, who'd like a bun?'

'Yes please!' they all shouted, and reached out to take
A bun from the dozen or more on the plate.
'Hold on a minute! What haven't you done?'
Mummy Mouse asked as she frowned at each one.
'We've not washed our hands,' answered Millie the Mole,
As mummy poured water into a large bowl.

Mummy Mouse watched them, and nodded her head
When they each took a bun, then Reggie Rat said,
'We would all like to know when Joanna will come.'
'Because we want to meet her,' Tommy said to his mum.
'Is she coming today?' asked Millie the Mole,
'And which way is she coming?' added Vicky the Vole.

'She is coming today!' laughed Mummy Mouse,
Daddy is bringing her back to the house.
If you want to go too, go and ask if you can.'
Just then Daddy Mouse drove up in his van.
Of course he said, 'Yes! But it's time we were gone,
So come on, hop in, and put your belts on.'

Joanna was waiting with a case in her hand,
And she looked up and smiled when she saw daddy's van.
Daddy pulled up and they all tumbled out,
Then suddenly shy, they just all looked about.
'Come over here you lot!' said Daddy Mouse,
'Say hello to Joanna, while I'm in the house.'

Well, it didn't take long and their shyness soon went,
They spoke of their den, and their camping in tents,
The painting of eggs, and their nut and spoon race,
And Sayem the champion, they met face to face!
So much to tell, her excitement just grew,
'I'd love to do some of those things with you too!'

'And so you shall,' they heard Daddy Mouse say,
We'll have plenty of fun while you're over to stay.'
Everyone turned when daddy said that,
'And for us too?' asked Reggie the Rat!
Daddy Mouse laughed, 'Yes, for all of you, too.'
And Cyril said, 'That will be tickity boo!'

Next morning, before the sun rose in the sky
Mummy made cheese rolls and crunchy nut pie.
She'd squeezed lots of lemons then crushed lots of ice,
And mixed them with honey to make it taste nice.
Then she filled up the flasks, enough for one each,
Today they were all going down to the beach!

Daddy drove round to the front of the house
And honked his horn loudly to call Mummy Mouse.
Joanna the Gerbil sat in the back
With Millie and Vicky, and Reggie the Rat.
Cyril the Squirrel squeezed in by the side
Of Timmy and Tommy for the bumpity ride.

It didn't take long, and soon they were there,
And for a short while they did nothing but stare.
The sand was so yellow, the sea was so blue,
With rocks on the side, there'd be plenty to do!
Then all of a sudden they all tumbled out,
'I'll be first in the water,' they heard Tommy shout!

The water was lovely, so blue and so clear,
And just by the rocks little fishes swam near.
Joanna the Gerbil just squealed with delight
Never before had she seen such a sight.
Millie came over with her bucket and spade,
Saying, 'come and see the castle we've made.'

Vicky was shouting, 'Quick, come over here,'
'Look what I've found!' she said, as they came near.
There in rocks was a really small shell,
That appeared to have eyes and six legs as well!
'Ooh,' said Joanna, 'What could it be?
'I'll ask Uncle Mouse to come over and see'

Uncle Mouse came to see this very strange thing,
'It's a really small crab,' he said starting to grin,
'When I was a lad, I would scoop out a moat,
And fill it with water, and make a small boat.
Then sometimes a crab would climb on for a ride.
And I'd watch for hours, just bursting with pride.'

'Can we make a boat for this little crab?
A boat that is special, not one that's drab.'
Joanna looked up with such a sweet smile,
That Uncle Mouse laughed at this charming young child.
Then the boys came over as pleased as could be,
'Look everyone what we've found by the sea!'

Cyril the Squirrel then opened his hands
To show them a shell that was big and so grand.
The colour was pinkish with gold flecks inside,
And when the girls saw it, together they cried
'That is just perfect! You've found us our boat!
It will sail on the water when we've made our moat!!

Tommy Mouse looked at the girls with surprise,
And wondered if something was wrong with their eyes.
'This isn't a boat,' he said, 'This is a shell!'
And Millie then answered, 'We know, we can tell,
But look over here,' she said, 'look what we've found.'
Then showed them the crab that was there on the ground.

The boys all knelt down to have a close look.
'I've seen one of those inside a school book!'
Said Cyril the Squirrel, 'Isn't it small,
It's called a sand crab, I seem to recall!'
Joanna then told them what her uncle had done
When he was much younger. They thought it was fun!

'What a good thing it was finding this shell,'
Said Reggie the Rat, 'we can do that as well!'
Daddy Mouse helped them to scoop out a moat,
Making it big enough for their new boat.
When it was finished, it took just a minute
For their little crab to go and climb in it.

The day just got better as each hour passed
Their picnic, their swimming, the day went so fast.
The crab found a friend at the side of the moat,
And together they sailed on their beautiful boat.
Then Mummy Mouse started to pack things away,
As everyone said, it had been a great day!