Customer Reviews

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Books with Holes)

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I read this book to my Kindergarteners, and they LOVED it. We read it through once, and then I taught them the song. They simply couldn't get enough of it. The illustrations are great, and it really captivates the kids! Great buy!

Perhaps I was just in a weird mood when I first read this book to my son, but I just found it laugh out loud hilarious. The expressions on the old lady's face are just too much, and the clever running commentary by the about-to-be-swallowed animals just adds to the fun.

The artwork is colorful and detailed, and there is plenty of little details for a smartalecky kid (or a smartalecky adult) to pick out of the background. My son loved this book and so did I. I would heartily recommend it. I will actively seek out other books by Simms Tayback.

This is a wonderfully fun book. My husband had some reservations about the content ('perhaps she'll die'), but my three year old daughter is not at all disturbed and loves the silliness of the story. Whenever its time for a story, she always requests "There was an old lady..."

The illustrations are colorful, expressive and silly. The cut out that grows to accomodate each creature the woman consumes and the clever commnents of the about to be eaten animals really add something special to this book. The repetition is also a wonderful way to help kids read along.

I remember this folk tale from when I was young. I often "sing" the book as we read. My daughter loves that. Buy this book - you won't be dissappointed. It sure to become a family favorite.

Simms Taback's book "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly" is humorous, with laugh-out-loud illustrations of the woman who just can't control her eating habits. Taback's collage pictures include brightly colored paintings with snippets of newspapers and other interesting materials, and Taback incorporates clever die-cut holes which add to the visual hilarity. My husband said that the illustrations in this book looked like "Mary Engelbreit gone evil."

The poem is the old familiar American classic, but Taback adds some original elements by allowing the animal characters to comment on the poem as it goes along, all the way to the shocking conclusion. Children will enjoy the colorful pictures and the poem, and adults will enjoy Taback's wry sense of humor.

This book was a Caldecott Honor book, but I think it deserved to win the Caldecott Medal. Full recommendation!

I read this story when I was a child and I loved it; however, I send kudos to the illustrator of this version of the story because the pages are busy and readable. The children will be able to gather a deeper analysis of the story by looking at all the floating objects and reading the messages within the illustrations. Also, the bright colors and cut out words make the story more enjoyable for children of all ages to read.

Ah, Hoosiers. Is there anything they can't do? The folk poem, "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" is probably the best known item found in the 1947 collection of "Hoosier Folklore". It has been turned into a wide variety of picture books, ranging from straightforward translations to bizarre new takes. If we were to pick the number one quintessential version of the poem in picture book form, though, then I guess the distinction would have to fall on Simms Taback's winner of the 1998 Caldecott Honor. In this version, a crazed senior citizen terrifies a community with her singular palate.

I think you probably know the song already, but it never hurts to sum it up. As we all know, there was an old lady who swallowed a fly. "I don't know why she swallowed the fly. Perhaps she'll die". To rid herself of the fly problem she eats a spider. Then, having obviously not thought this through, she eats a bird to catch the spider who, in turn, is supposed to catch the fly. I'd like to point out that when we get the occasional stomach-side view of the situation, nobody's doing any catching. Obviously the old lady isn't explaining to each animal what its job's supposed to be as she throws them down the hatch. By the time the old lady swallows a cat, she's pretty far gone. Her bloodshot eyes (nobody does good bloodshot eyes like Mr. Taback) roll in her head as she lunges haphazardly throughout the countryside. The cat is followed by a dog, the dog is followed by a cow. Apparently cows are good dog-catchers. Finally, she swallows a horse, and (best line in the song), "She died of course!". The author offers a sly moral at the end that is hard to contest. "Moral: Never swallow a horse". The book does not linger on the fate of the animals swallowed, which is probably for the best.

What sets this version of the story apart from that of other books is the running commentary provided by the animals who have already been swallowed or are next on the list. Using a collage of mixed media on Kraft paper, Taback creates a kooky colorful world where the cut-outs of real objects intermingle with drawings. His old lady is deranged in all the right ways. Her eyes never look in the same direction and she's just so comical (her dress's pattern apparently extends into her stomach), that instead of being disturbed by her death, the book just makes it seem sort of inevitable. Besides, you can't act like it's a big surprise. The recurring phrase is, "Perhaps she'll die". I was particularly delighted with the steady stream of news articles about the old lady that pop up throughout the story. The first article, "Old Lady Swallows Fly", appears in the highly reputable New York Times. The second article, "Cat Attacked: Culprit Identified" is in the less reputable New York Post. So by the time you get to the National Enquirer's, "Lady Wolfs Down Dog", you understand that the outlandishness of the tale is being reflected in the media as well. I was a little sad that the story about the cow didn't appear in the Weekly World News. Can't have everything, I suppose.

If you've any familiarity with Taback's other works (like his lovely, "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat") then you know what to expect. If you aren't familiar, then you're in for a treat. Kids reading this book will like the already perfect rhymes but will also enjoy finding small details found in each and every picture. Be sure to turn to the back cover of this book for Taback's useful guide to a variety of different flies. There are 23 of them there, by my count, and they range from the Lauxanid Fly to the Mydas.

It's fun to look at different versions of this same folksong. I highly suggest that if you're looking for a wide range of elderly ladies consuming insect and mammal, try taking a glace at Glen Rounds', "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". Also try taking a gander at the particularly original, "I Know A Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello" by Barbara Garriel. I'm just waiting for the day when some sly author/illustrator thinks to republish the entire book of "Hoosier Folklore" for the kiddies. Until that happy day arrives, we can enjoy books like this one. A true pleasure to read.

This die cut board book is wonderful and
fun with preschoolers. But most of the reviews and
comments on this ISBN refer to a different
edition (ISBN 0859537277, by Simms Taback ). Be sure
to note the difference.

There was an old Lady who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback is an excellent book. It expands the imagination of children so they can enhance their learning skills. Given the ability to see directly into the old lady's stomach will attract their small little eyes. Vibrant colors stand out against the black back round to allow each and every swallowed animal to appear more important. Reading There was an old Lady who Swallowed a Fly would create a wonderful memory and a child who loves to read because of the rhyming and well-written vocabulary. Although children will love to read it, age six is a reasonable age for them to handle the book in their own tiny hands. However, there is no child too you to read and enjoy this book.

The description here for this board book sounds fun. But the description does not match the board book at all.

Specifically, this board book:

-- Does not have humorous asides.

-- Does not name different types of birds.

-- Does not have a recipe for spider soup.

-- Does not have rhyming asides from spectating animals.

-- Lady does not have toothy grin.

-- Lady does not have bloodshot eyes.

-- Does not have a gallery of flies.

Clearly, this board book is NOT a board book edition of the book described. Instead, it's a completely different book. All it has in common with the book described is that both books are based on the old children's rhyme "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly."

And, this board book is somewhat dull and unimaginative compared to the book described. Unfortunately there does not appear to be an actual board book edition of the book described.

I remember singing "There was an Old Lady..." all the time in preschool, so when I found out that there was a book of this song, I had to buy it for my baby daughter. Not only is the song fun to sing, but the book is fun to read as well with its vibrant colors and cartoony illustrations. This is an excellent sing along book!