There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

by Simms Taback

Book Overview

An old favorite as you've never seen it before Everyone knows the song about the old lady who swallowed a fly, a spider, a bird, and even worse, but who's ever seen what's going on inside the old lady's stomach? With this inventive die-cut artwork, Simms Tabak gives us a rollicking, eye-popping version of the well-loved poem.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670869392
• ISBN13: 9780670869398
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
• Length: 36 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 10.2" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

I cannot believe that the crazy fun fell flat!

It is not a source of hilarity, but a source of annoyance.

Missing pages

Was going to read this to my kindergarten class and was so disappointed to see that pages were missing and the pages that were in it had pieces torn off.

Was sent a book with missing and torn pages.

The book itself is nice but I don't understand how a seller can send a book with pages torn out and ripped when the book was labeled In Good Condition.

Terrible Condition

My daughter really liked this book but I'm disappointed in the quality. Spending this much on a book that was previously taped and is still falling apart, pages literally falling out, is not acceptable. It's a rip off. Wish I hadn't wasted my money on this.

Pages are extremely close to falling out.

Some of the pages in this book are almost falling out.

Ripped pages

Order this book and part of the page is missing and you can't finish the story.

poor condition

Unusable

Lots of memories here!

Adults and kids will love reading this book. The illustrations are great, also.

Kids and Adults will love this!

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.

Funny, clever, and entertaining

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!

Delightfully Silly

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.

An Imaginative renditon of a Classic;kids will love it.

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.

This book was great!

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!