Song Video
Lyrics
A's For the Antelope always on view
Which Algernon saw,
When he went to the zoo.
B Was the bear that came up at a run
When Benjamin threw him
A very nice bun.
C's For the camel;
"Poor thing, what a lump!"
Was what Caroline said
When she looked at his hump.
D's For the deer with the soft
pretty eyes;
Doris found them so tame
She had quite a surprise.
E Was the elephant ;
sixpence a ride but
Eric soon found that
you can't sit astride!
F Was the fox very crafty and sly,
Watching Frank from his den
with a cunning old eye.
G's The giraffe which made
Geraldine smile;
She was sure with his neck,
She could see quite a mile.
H Was the hippo asleep in his pool,
Harry thought it an excellent
way to keep cool.
I Was the Ibex, a kind of wild goat.
Ida thought his horns nasty,
But liked his fine coat.
J Was the Jaguar like a big cat,
But Jane didn't think
She would like him to pat!
K Was the kangaroo off with a bound;
A fine way. thought Ken,
To get over the ground.
L's For the lions; they made
such a fierce noise
Laura wished she were safety
At home with the boys.
M's For the monkeys,
all patter and chatter,
But Miles couldn't tell
What on earth was the matter.
N's For the Nilgai which jumped
off a rock;
He took such a leap that
Nell had quite a shock.
O's For the ostrich,
A wise-looking bird,
But Olga remembered
the tales she had heard.
P's For the parrot
that had lots to say,
and tried to peck Paul,
As he passed by that way.
Q's For the Quagga
Which Quentin found tame;
He is quite like a Zebra,
with stripes and a mane.
R Is the Rhino,
A fierce-looking beast;
Rosie watched him with awe
In the midst of a feast.
S Is the snake which
Suzanne found asleep;
He was shiny and slimy
and made her flesh creep.
T's For the Tiger
that gave Tim a fright;
He was horribly scared
Lest they got out at night.
For U (That's the Unicorn)
Nobody looks;
As Una can tell you,
He's only in books.
V's For the Vulture,
A big bird of prey,
Veronica saw him
and soon ran away!
W's For the Wolf
Lying flat on the ground,
Though when Walter
came near he was
up with a bound.
X Just looks on
and has nothing to do,
There's no creature
That claims him
Through-out the whole Zoo.
Y Is the Yak;
He's worthy of note;
Yvonne was amazed
at his long shaggy coat.
Z's For the Zebra
That kept Zoe busy,
She counted his stripes
till she felt she was dizzy.
Information About Animal Alphabet
Whether it is an antelope, ant, aardvark or armadillo, bat, bear or buffalo, the "Animal Alphabet" is a fun way for children to learn and recite the alphabet. There are different versions of the song, and you can always replace or build upon the original lyrics.
While several sources deem the writers of this song as unknown, others credit it to Mary Rice Hopkins and Chuck Ingolia.
Musician/storyteller, David Polansky has his own versions of animal alphabet songs which have been performed on National Public Radio. Polansky is well-known for his travels around the country, performing concerts for children and adults alike.
Wikijunior, a Wikipedia for children, shares 'Animal Alphabet' as an e-book, with bright vibrant photos for its online viewers. It also has a printable version.
Using this song as a learning tool for children is certainly fun and it gets results. There is nothing more appealing to most children than animals. Children can learn about different types of critters while also learning their abc's.