Little Bo-Peep facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Little Bo-Peep"
Sheet music
Nursery rhyme
Published	c. 1805

"Little Bo-Peep" is a very old and well-known English nursery rhyme. It tells the story of a young shepherdess who has lost her sheep. This rhyme is so popular that it's listed in a special collection of folk songs, like a library for traditional tunes and stories.

The Story of Little Bo-Peep

Like many old stories and songs passed down by speaking, there are a few different ways people remember and sing "Little Bo-Peep." The most common version you'll hear today goes like this:

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

and doesn't know where to find them;

leave them alone, And they'll come home,

wagging their tails behind them.

Sometimes, the second line might be "And can't tell where to find them." The fourth line can also be "Bringing their tails behind them" or even "Dragging their tails behind them." These small changes show how rhymes can change a little over time as people share them.

An educational game from the 1800s featuring Little Bo-Peep.

An illustration of Little Bo-Peep by Walter Crane, from around 1885.

The Tune of the Rhyme

The melody, or tune, that most people know for "Little Bo-Peep" was first written down in 1870. A composer named James William Elliott included it in his book called National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs. This book helped make sure the tune was remembered and shared widely.

More Adventures of Bo-Peep

Sometimes, the story of Little Bo-Peep continues with more verses. These extra parts tell us more about what happens after she loses her sheep.

Illustrations by William Wallace Denslow for the rhyme, from 1902.

Here are some of the additional verses that are often added:

Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,

and dreamt she heard them bleating;

but when she awoke, she found it a joke,

for they were still a-fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook,

determined for to find them;

she found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,

for they'd left their tails behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo-Peep did stray

into a meadow hard by,

there she espied their tails side by side,

all hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,

and over the hillocks went rambling,

and tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,

to tack each again to its lambkin.

These extra verses add a bit more adventure and sadness to Bo-Peep's story, as she tries to get her sheep's tails back!