There Was an Old Lady

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!