TRADITIONAL LITERATURE

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

written by Simms Taback

New York, NY

1997

                                                               ISBN-10: 0670869392

Summary

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is a fun, cumulative tale, full of repetition and silliness.  An old lady swallows an assortment of animals,  each one larger than the last in hopes of catching the one before.  The animals are visible through a die-cut hole, with the hole getting larger with each page to accommodate the increasing size of the animals.  Finally, after swallowing a horse,  she dies and falls over. 

Taback has included a moral, albeit a silly one: Never swallow a horse!

Critical Analysis

In the genre of Traditional Tales, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly falls under the subheading of Folktales.  From all accounts, this started as a folk song and has evolved into the book.

The old lady looks a bit bizarre, with wild eyes that seem to roll at random. There is no real plot and the only evidence of setting is the old lady standing in the grass.  This is meant to be a silly tale, but Taback has added a touch of nonfiction by including pictures of various species of birds, flies and dogs, along with their names.  There are interjections from the animals throughout the story, adding a little extra humor. 

According to the information in the book, the artwork was created using a mixed medium of collage on kraft paper.  A black background dominates most of the pages, causing the other brightly colored illustrations to jump off the page.  The pictures depict the text beautifully, creating more interest as children see the animals through the die-cut.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal:

"From cover to moral (never swallow a horse), this cleverly illustrated version of an old folk favorite will delight children. Each page is full of details and humorous asides, from the names of different types of birds, to a recipe for spider soup, to the rhyming asides from the spectating animals. As for the old lady, with her toothy grin and round bloodshot eyes, she looks wacky enough to go so far as to swallow a horse. A die-cut hole allows readers to see inside her belly, first the critters already devoured and, with the turn of the page, the new animal that will join the crowd in her ever-expanding stomach. The pattern of the lady's dress, with its patchwork of bright, torn colored paper pasted on black, is used as the background motif for the words. 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. All in all, this illustrator provides an eye-catching, energy-filled interpretation that could easily become a classic in itself."

Kirkus Reviews:

"A die-cut hole approach to an old favorite that offers a view of the old lady's stomach and its expanding bestiary. The text has the look of a ransom note (a touch the devoured creatures might appreciate), but the jaunty colors--set skipping by a judicious use of black--keep the dark side of the poem at bay. Those accustomed to the streamlined version of this ditty won't know what to make of the comments scattered throughout the pages, little asides quipped by animals not yet swallowed; these rhyme with the ``perhaps she'll die'' line of the poem. Fortunately, these additions can be easily ignored or inflated according to taste, and full concentration given to the poem itself and the wild, eye-catching artwork: It is good fun to watch the old lady bulge and bloat, and the sheer corniness of the verse continues to be deeply gratifying."

Common Sense Media:

"Simms Taback adds visual fuel to a folk poem already brimming with hilarity. While the poem stands on its own as a celebration of rhyme and tomfoolery, Taback captures the action in boldly colored cartoon illustrations that cover each page. Short rhymed comments from the animals about to be eaten are added as asides. The cut-out pages focus the reader's attention and carry the poem from page to page."

Connections

This book could read in conjunction with versions such as There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro and I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson.   After reading these stories, children could work in pairs or small groups to create there own version of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed ... books

Joseph had a Little Overcoat, also by Simms Taback, could be read alongside this book.  Students could create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two books (art, silliness, repetition, cumulative story, etc)

Awards 

Caldecott Honor Book 1998
New York Times Best Illustrated Book

Taback, S. (1997). There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. New York, N.Y: Viking.  ISBN-10: 0670869392