There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Taback, S. (1997). There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. Illus. by Simms Taback. Penguin Group. ISBN 0670869392

PLOT SUMMARY

In this traditional tale, Simms Taback retells the story of “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly”. The old lady first swallowed a fly, then a spider to eat the fly, then a bird to eat the spider. In this traditional story, Taback recreates the story showing what the old lady’s stomach looks like from the inside.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Simms Taback retells the story of “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly”, in his unique way. The pages show his die cut artwork of what is happening inside of the old lady’s belly.


Simms Taback’s illustrations use loud pop colors contrast with black. The contrast between the colors, the old lady’s bloodshot eyes really speaks to you on how crazy this story really is. Taback’s die cuts help you visualize what the animals would actually look like in her belly! You can feel the song, with the font sizes and styles that Taback uses.


I would highly recommend this story for pre-school children for a fun, entertaining variation of a traditional tale.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

“The art sings with color and movement and humor and personality.”

—Horn Book

"All in all, this illustrator provides an eye-catching, energy-filled interpretation that could easily become a classic in itself.”

–School Library Journal

“It is good fun to watch the old lady bulge and bloat, and the sheer corniness of the verse continues to be deeply gratifying.”

–Kirkus Reviews

CONNECTIONS


This traditional tale can be for pre-school children as a unique entertaining variation of the popular story of “There was an old lady that swallowed a fly”.



AWARDS


Caldecott Honor Book