Nursery Rhymes

I had a discussion this morning with a student of mine about English nursery rhymes. A nursery rhyme is a short poem or song for children. Here is an example of one of my favorite nursery rhymes:

All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel;
The monkey thought it was all in fun.
Pop! Goes the weasel.

A weasel is a small, squirrel-like animal. A mulberry bush is an American fruit bush. The story doesn't make a lot of sense, but there is a lively melody. In fact the melody for "Pop Goes the Weasel" is often played by ice cream trucks and carousels in the United States.