Never Make Fun.

This is an excerpt from Gardner's 1969 book Never Make Fun Of A Turtle, My Sort (Simon and Schuster, illustrated by John Alcorn).

Never make Fun

   Never make fun of a turtle, my son,
      For moving so slow in a race.
   He prefers to move slow and he thinks that you go
      At a terrible, nerve-wracking pace.

   Don't ever sneer at a beaver, my dear,
      Because of the size of his tooth.
   He wonders why all of your teeth are so small,
      And thinks that your grin is uncouth.

   It just isn't fair to guffaw at a bear
      Who is brown from his snout to his feet.
   He likes to be brown. He thinks you're a clown
      With a face painted white as a sheet.

   It's vulgar to laugh at a baby giraffe.
      His neck is unusual, that's true.
   But I tell you he's glad to resemble his dad,
      And would hate
      To be shaped
        Like you!

MARTIN GARDNER 

Norman, Oklahoma