When my right arm fell off,

I knew what to do,

I stuck it back on,

With vegetable glue.

When my head rolled away,

I thought it had gone,

But I found it again,

And stuck it back on.

You can see for yourself,

That something’s not right,

People don’t fall apart.

It’s just not polite.

I have to keep with me,

A big tub of glue,

To stick parts back on,

To make good as new.

I hear you all shout,

“We’ve heard quite enough!

Tell us, how do we make,

That gloopy green stuff?”

Well, it’s not in the stores,

And it’s not on the telly,

Because vegetable glue

Is in everyone’s belly.

But I was quite silly,

I made a mistake.

I wouldn’t eat good things,

I only ate…

…cake!

I wouldn’t eat cabbage,

Or turnips or beans,

I didn’t like carrots,

I didn’t like greens.

I didn’t eat sprouts,

Now I’ve no special glue

No goodness inside me,

Like other kids do.

While others are playing,

I can’t even cough.

If I sneeze or I burp,

Then something falls off.

Oops, pardon me

I’ve made a rude sound.

My bottom’s dropped off

And is now…

…on the ground.

Now here is my granny

To give me some more.

She’s looking quite good

For a hundred and four.

She’d like you to know

Why she’s so fit and able.

She ate all her greens

Before leaving the table.

She ate all her greens

And I hope you do too,

Then…

you’ll never need…

… any vegetable glue.

For Chris and Ted

S. C.

For My Mothers

E. O.

Copyright © 2012 by Susan Chandler and Elena Odriozola

Text copyright © Susan Chandler 2004

Illustrations © Elena Odriozola 2004

Published by arrangement with Meadowside Children’s Books

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Manufactured in China, January 2012

This product conforms to CPSIA 2008

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chandler, Susan, 1971-

[Vegetable glue]

What I do with vegetable glue / Susan Chandler ; illustrated by Elena Odriozola.

p. cm.

Summary: Illustrations and rhyming text introduce a little girl who only eats cake and, lacking “good stuff” inside to keep her body together, must use her grandmother’s vegetable glue to reattach parts that fall off.

ISBN 978-1-61608-661-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)

[1. Stories in rhyme. 2. Food habits—Fiction. 3. Nutrition—Fiction.] I. Odriozola, Elena, ill. II. Title.

PZ8.3.C362Wh 2012

[E]—dc23

2011047205

Table of Contents

Titlepage

What I Do With Vegetable Glue

Dedication

Copyright