Everyone knows the song about the old lady who swallowed a fly, a spider, a bird, and even worse, but who's ever seen what's going on inside the old lady's stomach? With his inventive die-cut artwork, Simms Taback, illustrator gives young readers a rollicking, eye-popping version of the well-loved poem.
Following the classic children's rhyme about a woman who tried to remedy the consumption of a fly by eating a spider to catch the fly and a bird to catch the spider and so forth, this cleverly designed book is great for preschoolers. Die-cuts show the collection of animals in the lady's stomach and gradually become bigger as the poem progresses and the animals she eats become bigger. Children will giggle at the absurdity of swallowing animals whole and the illustrations, which are bright and colorful, also add a comedic touch in the portrayal of the eccentric old lady.
Thanks to a repetitive and melodic format, kids will easily be able to learn the poem and chime in. Perhaps you can even add in a few extra verses, such as pig or sheep. Some children will also be interested in the various pages that showcase a collection of flies with their species' names or dogs with their breeds.
Emily, the three-year-old that I babysit, loved the spider page that highlights a huge web filled with bugs. She especially got a kick out of the spider's recipe for spider's soup, which called for a variety of bugs to be sauteed in worm juice. After reading that she announced that she wanted some juice to drink and I asked if she would like worm juice or regular juice. She gave a funny look and said, "People don't drink worms."
--Abby