There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly by Simms Taback

 1. Bibliography

Taback, Simms. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Toronto: Viking, 1997.

2. Plot Summary 

This illustrated picture book of the children’s nonsensical song “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly” includes all the absurd lyrics and story of the original about an old lady who eats her way through a series of increasingly large animals and we “don’t know why” but we think that “perhaps she’ll die”. Readers will love this adaptation with hilarious, colorful illustrations that teach the stated moral to “never swallow a horse”. This book adds to the original tale with pages dedicated to a spider soup recipe, a page with types of birds, and a few other fun surprises. 

3. Critical Analysis

The vibrant, almost scrapbook-like, illustrations in this children’s song turned picture book complement the nonsensical story well. The Old Lady’s kooky style and bloodshot, crossed eyes give readers the sense that she is just wacky enough to go “whole hog” and “swallow the dog”. As the animals she swallows become larger, so too does the old lady widen and take up more of the page. The original words of the story are encased in colorful, rectangular scraps like a ransom note, while the extra comments from the animals appear to be handwritten directly on the page.  Equally as appealing is the repetitive growing list of animals the Old Lady has swallowed followed by the thought that “perhaps she’ll die”. The story comes to an end when the Old Lady swallows her largest animal yet, and the only thing left on the page is a tombstone that reads “here lies and old lady” and the final words “Moral: Never swallow a horse”. There is humor in the moral being as nonsensical as the entire song. It is a fun representation of the original children's song with a few extra elements to keep readers engaged. 

4. Award(s) and Review Excerpt(s)

• 1998 Caldecott Honor
  
• From School Library Journal: “From cover to moral (never swallow a horse), this cleverly illustrated version of an old folk favorite will delight children. Each page is full of details and humorous asides, from the names of different types of birds, to a recipe for spider soup, to the rhyming asides from the spectating animals.”
  
• From: Kirkus Review: “Those accustomed to the streamlined version of this ditty won't know what to make of the comments scattered throughout the pages, little asides quipped by animals not yet swallowed; these rhyme with the ``perhaps she'll die'' line of the poem. Fortunately, these additions can be easily ignored or inflated according to taste, and full concentration given to the poem itself and the wild, eye-catching artwork: It is good fun to watch the old lady bulge and bloat, and the sheer corniness of the verse continues to be deeply gratifying.”

5. Connections

Gather other books with children’s playground lore:

• Cole, Joanna. Miss Mary Mack and Other Children’s Street Rhymes. ISBN 0688097499
  
• Sierra, Judy. Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids’ Own Rhymes for Rope-Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun. ISBN 0375825169
  

Gather other books by Simms Taback:

• Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. ISBN 9780670878550
  
• This is the House that Jack Built. ISBN 0142402001
  
• I Miss You Every Day. ISBN 0670061921
  

Use for choral reading with children. 

Use the page on types of birds to introduce a study on types of birds. 

Play a memory game by showing children the page with items in the city and have them write a list of all the items they can remember.