khahn86351's Full Review: Pam Adams and Child's Play - There Was an Old Lady...
ISBN: 0859537277
Publisher: Child's Play-International
Format: Board Book
Pages: 18
Illustrator: Pam Adams
Size: 11 ½” x 11 ½”
Imagine a very large, round, smiling lady. She is wearing a green coat with purple trim and yellow buttons, a green and purple striped skirt, a colorful shirt filled with pink, green, yellow and purple flowers and dots. A black, white and pink bonnet covers her white hair and ties under her chin in a big pink bow. In her right hand she is holding an umbrella, not to mention the black fingerless gloves over her chubby hands. She has both pockets of her coat filled with suckers, a candy cane and other colorful candy. On her feet are red and white striped sock, covered by black leprechaun style shoes with gold buckles.
Oh, and I can’t forget a blue fly with white wings in the center of her round tummy . . . implying the fly is in her belly.
You have just met the lady who swallowed a fly.
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly is a humorous folk song that was turned into a children’s book. It describes a lady that swallowed a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, cow and horse. There are many versions of the book, many different illustrators and publishers, but Child’s Play International has allowed Illustrator Pam Adams to bring colorful and silly pictures into our home.
Although the description above seems to leave a picture in your mind comparable to someone you would see on an afternoon talk show make-over, the little old lady who swallowed a fly looks rather sweet and inviting. Similar to how you would picture a grandma to look.
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly is part of the “Classic Book with Holes” series by Childs Play. The book has a hole in the center of each page, and as you flip the pages, the holes get bigger and bigger. This is called a die cut, allowing the viewer to see pictures on the following page. This is rather a creative way to tell the old folk song in book form. Let me tell you why . . .
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly.
Perhaps she’ll die.
The book starts with this silly rhyme, a fly and a spider on the left page . . . followed by the exact picture I described above on the right page. The only difference is there is a hole on the left page, in the center of her tummy, allowing the reader to view a little blue fly from the following page.
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and wriggled and jiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly.
Perhaps she’ll die.
The next page contains the above rhyme, with a spider and a bird . . . followed by the exact picture on the right, only this time, the hole in her belly is bigger, showing a spider with a fly in it’s belly.
This continues on throughout the whole book, with the hole getting larger as she swallows more animals. Each animal is simply drawn and brightly colored.
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.
How absurd, to swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider . . . ect.
The verses keep accumulating, repeated the verse before until you end up with . . .
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don’t know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog.
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider.
That wriggled and wriggled and jiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly.
Perhaps she’ll die.
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse.
She’s dead of course.
And that’s where the book ends! The final picture of the lady shows each animal inside her tummy, with the previous animal in his or her tummy.
And don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to sing, instead of read!
Moral Issues? Educational?
In today’s age, some may feel it would be rather morbid to say perhaps a lady will die, especially when at the end she does. I personally do not have a problem reading this book to my son though. It is meant to be silly, funny, MAKE BELIEVE! Obviously no one can swallow a cat, let alone a horse whole. And Pam Adams does a great job illustrating the pictures to give a fun and silly appearance.
My son enjoys seeing all the animals in the smiling lady’s stomach, and I believe he is learning by the repetitiveness of the story, as well as the pictures of the animals.
I’ve actually caught myself humming the tune in my head from time to time. And no matter how many times I read this addictive book to my 2-year-old son, I seem to enjoy it each time.
http://www.childs-play.com
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly is part of the “Classic book with holes” series by Childs Play. You can also find out more information at their Website about other BOOKS WITH HOLES illustrated by Pam Adams . . .
This Old Man
Old Macdonald
The House that Jack built
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Big difference in PRICE!
Epinions shows the cheapest price listed as $2.51 @ half.com. Buy.com lists it at $3.54. My sister works for Barnes and Nobles, where our book was purchased, and the price tag on the back of the book is $6.99. Barnes and Nobles Website has it listed @ $4.99.
Noticing the price difference, and after a little investigating, I found there are 3 versions of this book by Child’s Play: Paperback, Hard Cover, and the Board Book. Seems to me the price depends on which style you choose and where you purchase the book.
But no matter the price, this book is a great addition to any child’s collection! I honestly believe this book is appropriate for all ages! (Even a 26 year old mom! ;)
In this famous series, magical die-cutting draws the reader from page to colorful page. Soon, the story can be read - or more probably sung - by heart...More at HotBookSale
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