Deep in the Swamp
Donna M. Bateman
Illustrated by Brian Lies
Deep in the swamp, in the warm morning sun,
Lived a mother river otter and her little pup One.
Splash! said the mother. I splash, said the One.
So they splashed and they played in the warm morning sun.
Deep in the swamp, where the neverwets grew,
Lived a mother snapping turtle and her little turtles Two.
Swim! said the mother. We swim, said the Two.
So they swam through the prairies where the neverwets grew.
Deep in the swamp, in a hollow cypress knee,
Lived a mother flame bird and her little chicks Three.
Sweet- sweet! trilled the mother. Sweet- sweet, trilled the Three.
So they trilled loud and long in their hollow cypress knee.
Deep in the swamp, in a thicket on the shore,
Lived a mother marsh rabbit and her little bunnies Four.
Snooze! said the mother. We snooze, said the Four.
So they snoozed all day long in their thicket on the shore.
Deep in the swamp, where the water lilies thrive,
Lived a mother alligator and her little gators Five.
Bask! said the mother. We bask, said the Five.
So they basked in the sun where the water lilies thrive.
Deep in the swamp, in a nest built of sticks,
Lived a mother blue heron and her little chicks Six.
Soar! said the mother. We soar, said the Six.
So they soared through the sky near their nest built of sticks.
Deep in the swamp where the cypress reach to heaven,
Lived a mother damselfly and her little flies Seven.
Dry! said the mother. We dry, said the Seven.
So they dried their new wings where the cypress reach to heaven.
Deep in the swamp, where the cattails grow straight,
Lived a mother bullfrog and her little froglets Eight.
Jump! said the mother. We jump, said the Eight.
So they jumped through the shallows where the cattails grow straight.
Deep in the swamp, where the bamboo vines twine,
Lived a mother rat snake and her little snakes Nine.
Climb! said the mother. We climb, said the Nine.
So they climbed up a pine where the bamboo vines twine.
Deep in the swamp, in an underwater den,
Lived a mother crayfish and her little crayfish Ten.
Scurry! said the mother. We scurry, said the Ten.
So they scurried after tadpoles near their underwater den.
Swamp Flora and
Fauna Facts
All the plants and animals in this story can be
found in the Okefenokee Swamp. Many of the
animals have a special relationship with their
mother. However, some species do not raise
their young.
alligator
The largest reptiles in North America,
alligators grow as long as feet. Unlike most reptiles,
mother alligators guard their nest and defend their babies
for up to three years. Once the babies, called hatchlings,
hatch, the mother leads them to water or carries them
there in her mouth.
bamboo vines
Bamboo vines are woody, evergreen
vines with thorny stems not to be confused with true bamboo,
which is a grass. The vines grow on islands in the Okefenokee
Swamp, where they tangle in the underbrush or climb trees.
blue heron
The great blue heron is the
largest of the herons. Great blue herons build a large
nest of sticks near the top of a tree and lay three to
seven eggs. Heron parents share the incubation of their
eggs and the feeding of their chicks. The chicks can fly
at six or seven weeks old.