There Was a Bold Lady Who Wanted a Star (Hardcover)

~ Charise Mericle Harper (Author) "There was a bold lady who wanted a star..." (more)
Key Phrases: bold lady

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this folksy revision of "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," an auburn-haired woman in a calico dress looks out her window at a yellow, five-pointed star while her son sleeps under a patterned quilt. The lady fetches some running shoes and roller skates ("She bought the skates to replace the shoes./ She bought the shoes to catch the star./ I don't know why she wanted a star-/ it seemed too far"). She next acquires a car, a plane and a "big rocket,/ then zoomed up and caught the star in her pocket." Using all her modes of transportation in reverse order, she returns to the farmhouse and affectionately presents her son with the star "in a jar. (So it wasn't too far!)" Harper (Imaginative Inventions) populates whimsical land- and cityscapes with fanciful bugs, birds and animals. The bold lady buys a bike from a small pink squirrel, then cycles through a flowery forest; she gets a car from a speckled snake and cruises past quirky shops. For each reiteration of the sequence, Harper provides a rebus alongside her key words. Delicate stippled dots and understated spirals decorate every available surface. These attentive folk-art touches complement the spry singalong verse, while suggesting the heights that love might reach. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reSchool-Grade 2-Yet another variation on the familiar English folk song. This time the protagonist is a feisty, "bold" lady who wanted a star. "I don't know why she wanted a star-it seemed too far." She buys running shoes from a funny-looking caterpillar salesman and runs for miles before stopping for a snooze. Then she buys skates to replace the shoes, a bike to replace the skates, a car to replace the bikes, and on and on until she acquires a rocket to zoom off to catch the star. The imaginative and inventive retelling maintains the rhyme of the original except for a slight change at the end. Acrylic cartoons in bright colors lend a zany feel to this bold lady who lets nothing get in the way of reaching her star, which she puts in a jar ("So it wasn't so far!"). An action-packed read-aloud.
Leslie Barban, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316146730
• ISBN-13: 978-0316146739
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #631,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy One for You and Another for Your Best Friend's Toddler, April 15, 2004

By A Customer

I gave this book to a friend for her 2 year old's birthday, but didn't expect the rave reviews it got--the emails started pouring in--"thanks--my daughter loves it!" then..."she wants to read it 6 times per day!!" So I bought a copy. Then my son, now 18 months, became an addict--"star!" "moon"! "balloon!" (please note he didn't know these words two days ago) He goes for the book several times a day. But now I'm addicted too--the illustrations are magnificent, with wonderful color, detail, and depth that captivates even very young children, not unlike Richard Scarry. The text is charming, rythmic, and inspirational (which my son will hopefully appreciate later.) We own a lot of books, but very few get thrown in my lap as often as this; I'm ordering all her books, hoping they are as much fun as this!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Love Bold Lady!, January 26, 2005

By	JotandTittle "J&T" (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

My 3-year old daughter loves "Bold Lady," maybe even as much as I do! The vibrant colors of Harper's art with the creative, rhyming text - and a home-run ending make this book awesome. Harper updates a old classic, and like a classic, it holds a firm place in our ever-changing bookshelf!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent., September 30, 2003

By A Customer

Instills in kids and parents the idea that to pursue the stars and beyond is a thing to do. No goal is too distant or not worth the effort.