James and the Giant Peach

'And who knows where it will end,' muttered the Earthworm, 'if you have anything to do with it. It can only mean trouble.'

'Nonsense,' said the Ladybird. 'We are now about to visit the most marvellous places and see the most wonderful things! Isn't that so, Centipede?'

'There is no knowing what we shall see!' cried the Centipede.

'We may see a Creature with forty-nine heads

Who lives in the desolate snow,

And whenever he catches a cold (which he dreads) He has forty-nine noses to blow.

'We may see the venomous Pink-Spotted Scrunch

Who can chew up a man with one bite.

It likes to eat five of them roasted for lunch

And eighteen for its supper at night.

'We may see a Dragon, and nobody knows

That we won't see a Unicorn there.

We may see a terrible Monster with toes

Growing out of the tufts of his hair.

'We may see the sweet little Biddy-Bright Hen

So playful, so kind and well-bred;

And such beautiful eggs! You just boil them and then

They explode and they blow off your head.

'A Gnu and a Gnocerous surely you'll see

And that gnormous and gnorrible Gnat

Whose sting when it stings you goes in at the knee

And comes out through the top of your hat.

'We may even get lost and be frozen by frost.

We may die in an earthquake or tremor.

Or nastier still, we may even be tossed

On the horns of a furious Dilemma.

'But who cares! Let us go from this horrible hill!

Let us roll! Let us bowl! Let us plunge!

Let's go rolling and bowling and spinning until

We're away from old Spiker and Sponge!'