There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback

1.      Bibliography

Taback, Simms. 1998. THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. by Simms Taback. New York, NY: Viking Juvenile. ISBN 0670869392.

2.      Plot Summary

This book is Simms Taback’s printed version of the children’s song, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The book tells a story of an old lady who swallows a multitude of animals, each animal bigger than the last. She begins with a fly, then a spider, a bird, a cat, a dog, a pig, a goat, a cow, a donkey, then, finally, a horse. She swallows each animal for the purpose of that animal of catching the previous animal that she swallowed. Each description of the animals that she swallows is accompanied by a phrase that includes a word that rhymes with that animal, for example: “What a hog to swallow a dog.”

3.      Critical Analysis

This book would be a great source for teachers of primary elementary grades (PK-2^nd) to use when introducing to their students the idea of how a food chain works. Although this book does not demonstrate a logical food chain, at least it adequately presents the idea that a food chain typically begins with the smallest animal or a plant, then progresses toward larger animals. This book is also a great source for teachers to use when teaching students about how words rhyme, like onset and other kinds of rhyme.

4.      Review Excerpts

School Library Journal-“The text is handwritten on vivid strips of paper that are loosely placed on the patterned page, thus creating a lively interplay between the meaning of the words and their visual power.”

Kirkus Reviews-“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

Other great books written by Simms Taback include:

·         Taback, Simms. I MISS YOU EVERY DAY. ISBN 0670061921.

·         Taback, Simms. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. ISBN 0670878553.

·         Taback, Simms.THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. ISBN 0142402001.