A programme for children under five
'Variety is the spice of life' - but our under-fives do not agree. 'I want "Bye Baby Bunting" every day,' wrote one little boy. and though our small listeners have heard many times before how Jack fell down and Jill came tumbling after, and have listened for the clock to strike five with what may seem to grown-ups a monotonous regularity before Polly puts the kettle on, still they demand these and other favourites over and over again. Far from being bored by the constant repetition, it is what the children want, and the temptation to move at too fast a pace with new material is one we have to resist. That is why this week, as often before, we have introduced no new nursery rhymes into our repertoire.
It is pleasant to see from our correspondence how much-loved a part of these programmes the nursery rhymes have become. Different children enjoy them in their different ways. Some sing lustily with the singers, some prefer only to listen, sometimes with great intensity, like one little boy who will not move from the loudspeaker' in case he is not back in time to hear the next nursery rhyme.'
(Elizabeth A. Taylor)