Hale, Sarah Josepha. Poems For Our Children.

Boston: Marsh, Capen & Lyon, 1830. The collection includes “Mary’s Lamb,” the original version of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” by John Roulstone. The poem is based on an actual incident involving a little girl named Mary Elizabeth Sawyer of Sterling, whose lamb did follow her to school. Hale contributes additional verses to the poem, which is subsequently set to music by Lowell Mason. The full title of the book is: Poems For Our Children, Designed for Families, Sabbath Schools, and Infant Schools, Written to Inculcate Moral Truths and Virtuous Sentiments.