Independent Reading Level: Grade 1-2
Awards: none

Funny story about things that an old lady swallowed.

I read the book I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly retold and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott and I loved it. One reason why I enjoyed this book is because of the language. The language of this book has a pattern of repeating and rhyming each animal the old lady eats after every page. For example, the first page starts off by “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly, I don’t know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she’ll die.” The story then continues naming each animal the old lady ate including the very first animal, the fly. I also enjoyed this book because of the writing. The writing of this book was very engaging and kept the reader entertained. It kept the reader on their toes because they did not know what animal the old lady was going to eat that was going to make her die until the last page. The last page stated that the horse was the animal who made her die. The main idea of this book is that it is supposed to be a fun book that teaches children rhyming words, patterns, and the concept of cause and effect. ( )

an old lady swallowed so many things we thought she would die. eventually she ate so much that she did!
1 book

Time Machine
2.0 out of 5 stars Well I Guess There Is Always One In The Crowd..., May 23, 2005
Everyone else seems to adore this book so I guess I have lost my sense of humor because I just don't like this particular version-- at least not for the 3 and under set.

My first objection stems from the use of bug spray by the 'old lady' to get rid of the fly. She is shown sitting on a couch surrounded by cans of depleted insecticide while spraying more in her mouth. Rather than find this funny, it scared me to think that some child might get a notion to copy this activity.

Then second is my objection to boiling a cat and chasing a dog with the same intent. Now most children wouldn't do this so that's not a problem but I still don't like the idea of introducing this weird concept to my little boy. (My son asked me if we needed to keep our cat inside and safe from the neighbors - hmmm.)

The funny part of all of this is that I don't mind when the old lady just pops the animals down her throat. Go figure. In any case, Nadine Westcott is a good story teller and her artwork is clever, but I still have to give this book two stars because of the above reservations.

[A `Thought You Should Know' review] ( )