✦ A Nursery Rhyme ✦

Little Miss Muffet

A traditional Mother Goose nursery rhyme

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider, who sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away!

Watch the Read-Aloud Read the Rhyme

Read aloud by Storyland Classics  ✦  24 seconds  ✦  Watch on YouTube

✦ The Rhyme ✦

Little Miss Muffet

Traditional English nursery rhyme. Public domain.

Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet, Eating her curds and whey; Along came a spider, Who sat down beside her, And frightened Miss Muffet away.

✦ About the Rhyme ✦

Curds, Whey, and a Spider

“Little Miss Muffet” was first printed in 1805. A tuffet is a low seat or a little grassy mound, and curds and whey are what milk separates into when making cheese, a bit like cottage cheese.

The rhyme’s surprise ending, with the spider sitting down right beside her, has made generations of children squeal with delight.

✦ Talk About It ✦

Questions to Share

  • What was Miss Muffet sitting on?
  • What was she eating?
  • What would you do if a spider sat down beside you?

✦ Keep Reading ✦

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