THE FIRST

LITTLE PET BOOK,

WITH

TEN SHORT TALES,

IN WORDS OF THREE AND FOUR LETTERS.

BY

AUNT FANNY,

Author of "Night Caps," "Mittens," "Wife's Stratagem," etc., etc.

"I LOVE GOD AND LITTLE CHILDREN."—Richter.

NEW YORK:

JAMES O'KANE, PUBLISHER.

1867.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by
W. H. Kelley and Brother,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United
States for the Southern District of New-York.

[Pg iii]

THIS

LITTLE PET BOOK

IS DEDICATED TO

Charlotte, Mary, and Willie,

THREE DEAR LITTLE CHILDREN,

ABOUT WHOM I TOLD FUNNY STORIES IN TWO OF THE
"MITTEN" BOOKS.

"Why, Hal, did you get my pie?"—P. 14.

[Pg v]

PREFACE TO MOTHERS.

Many and many a time mothers have cometo the author with the piteous plaint: "OAunt Fanny! we are perfectly worn out withyour 'Nightcaps,' 'Mittens,' and 'Socks;'we have read them to our little children,who have not yet conquered the compoundmysteries of the alphabet, until we knowthem by heart; do, do write some booksin words of one syllable, which they canread for themselves."

Now, I wonder if these good mothers[Pg vi]can conceive what it is to write a story inwords of one syllable, and make it interesting,sensible, and grammatical? If theycan not, I entreat them to try a page ortwo of this utterly distracting style of composition;they will very soon have a realizingsense of the pleasing emotions of alunatic confined in a strait-jacket. Aboveall, let them try a tale of joy or woe, allin words of three letters and less. MotherGoose could never have made her precious"high-diddle-diddle" nonsense in this way.I have tried frantically to spell "jolly" inthree letters and "darling" in one syllable.How I have succeeded the books are submittedto show.

[Pg vii]The mothers have wanted them, and I havewritten them—begging pardon of MotherGoose and Mr. Murray—and entreating thatall short-comings, which in this case willmean all words too long, will be set downto want of power, not want of will, todelight and amuse the dear little darlings,the writing for whom is so rare a comfortto their loving

[Pg ix]

CONTENTS.