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 There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Caldecott Honor Book) :: 0670869392
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| The well-known children's song is illustrated using a die-cutting technique that stays with one picture but reveals each new animal 'swallowed' as we come to it in the verses of the song. Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly is as silly as Winnie the Pooh trying to get honey from a bee's hive and getting stuck in a tree. First, the Old Lady actually swallows a fly! No one knows why, Perhaps she'll die. Second, she swallows a spider to catch the fly. Third, the Old Lady swallows a bird to catch the spider to catch the fly. I don't know why, perhaps she'll die. The book goes o like this until she dies. I would recommend this book for any child even if he/she is just starting to read because there are very simple words. I remember reading this book in kindergarten and now seven years later I still love it.
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Author: Guest
I purchased the book and the old lady on-line with the intentions of sharing both with children in a hospital. When the box arrived and I pulled out the little old lady, she almost scared me to death. My granddaughter and I decided to give her a make over. She now has blush on her cheeks, lipstick on her lips and a scarf and sunglasses. I took the word die out of the song and replaced it with cry. It was a hit with the children and well as the adults who listened and sang along with the story. As a storyteller I felt very proud that I thought enough of my audience to take them on a safe journey and back. What a great folk tale to share with adults as well as children.
Auntie Jo Jo "The Storyteller"
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Author: Guest
"I don't know why she swallowed the fly?" is the amusing question repeatedly asked in Simms Taback's There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Through hilarious, boldly colored cartoon animations, Talback wonderfully illustrates this amusing, rhyming, folk tale children's book. As each page is turned, Talback adds side-splitting visual details as the old lady's belly bloats and grows larger and larger with each insect, bird, and animal that she swallows. Along with the Caldecott Honor, this book was selected as one of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1997, by the New York Times Book Review.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is not the only children's book Talback has written and illustrated that has been awarded with the Caldecott Honor. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat has also earned the Caldecott Award, which as a similar sense of off the wall humor.
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Author: Guest
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.
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Author: Guest
This is a favorite classic that becomes absolutely hilarious. When children understand the absurdity of the story they laugh and laugh.
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