“Mary’s Lamb” by Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879):

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go;
He followed her to school one day—
That was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.
And then he ran to her and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said, “I’m not afraid—
You’ll shield me from all harm.”

“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”
The little children cry;
“Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply,
“And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind,
And make it follow at your call,
If you are always kind.”

(Photo of the Redstone School, now in Sudbury, Massachusetts, believed to be the school mentioned in the poem, via Wikimedia Commons)