# A Good Play

- Source: A Child's Garden of Verses (child-garden.gutenberg.org), Public domain, Robert Louis Stevenson, 1885; pictures by Jessie Willcox Smith, 1905; via Project Gutenberg
- Reading level: Grades 1 and 2
- Subjects: Poems, Food
- Topics: a-sailing, apple, back-bedroom, best, billows, cake
- Length: 96 words, about 1 min
- Original: <https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25609/pg25609-images.html>
- Page: <https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/r/child-garden/s-18-a-good-play>
- Open in Sprouts: <https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/?read=child-garden/s-18-a-good-play>

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We built a ship upon the stairs  
All made of the back-bedroom chairs,  
And filled it full of sofa pillows  
To go a-sailing on the billows.

We took a saw and several nails,  
And water in the nursery pails;  
And Tom said, "Let us also take  
An apple and a slice of cake;"—  
Which was enough for Tom and me  
To go a-sailing on, till tea.

We sailed along for days and days  
And had the very best of plays;  
But Tom fell out and hurt his knee,  
So there was no one left but me.

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## Picture credits

- Jessie Willcox Smith, Public domain (<https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25609/pg25609-images.html>)