Rhyming childrens story of 'Sammy the Sardine and the great grey whale''

[carter1945]

When my children were young around 1985 their favourite story came from a book of bedtime stories and was called Sammy the Sardine and the great grey whale. It was all about a sardine (Sammy) who was playing hide and seek with his brothers and sisters in the hull of a sunken ship. Against his mothers orders he gave them all the slip and swam off into the ocean and got lost. After meeting lots of other sea life he comes across the great grey whale who he had beentold was very dangerous. But the whale just wanted to be friends and took him back to his sardine family. Does anyone else know this story or got the book or the name of the book and publisher? I want to get it to read to my Grandchildren,

[LeMarchand]

Pretty sure that it's in the Ladybird book "THE RED BOOK OF BEDTIME STORIES". It's out print, but there are copies on Amazon for 1p + �2.75 p&p. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Bedtime-Stories-N ursery-Rhymes/dp/0721406076/

According to a listing on Italian eBay, the stories are:

* The sun and the fish
* Lewis the grandfather clock
* Sammy and the whale
* The dragon that banished the cold
* Sydney the scarecrow
* Baby Jesus and the animals
* Mary Jane counts to ten

Someone else looking for the Sammy story on another site remembers it as being in a book with the "Lewis" story.

[LeMarchand]

Just found some scans here: http://alittlebeaver.net/?pid=5299339

[springs]

I can't beleive someone else remembers this story. I have been searching for it for months!! It was my daughters favourite story/poem when she was little. She is now expecting her first baby and I am so delighted that LeMerchand has found it. Thank you so very much.

[kris]

I read this poem every night for about two years to my youngest son , now nearly 31 I can only remember a little now although I knew it verbatum for many years. It went..."Don't go near the great grey whale",said mummy sardine one day,
"Why not, why not"? they all piped up, "Be quiet and do as I say".
So they all went off to play hide and seek in the hull of a sunken ship.
Till naughty sammy, the littlest one, went and gave them all the slip.
Thats it bits and pieces come back but I really want to find this poem in it's entirety. I was in one of the Kadybird poems for children books about 1984. Any clues where I might find it?

[kris]

Type Your Answer Here...1984 i read this poem to my youngest son every night for two years and knew it verbatum. I can remeber a little now it goes....
"Don't go near the Great grey Whale", said Mummy Sardine one day.
"Whynot, wht not?" they all piped up.
"be quiet and do as I say".
Sop they all went off to play hide and seek,
In the hull of a sunken ship,
till naughty sammy, the littlest one,
Went and gave them all the slip.
...and thats all that comes back except for the odd snippet,
I would really love to find a copy of this, it was in a small childrens poems book by Ladybird I believe, can anyone help us?