Traditional Literature Review: There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback

Books 2:

Traditional Literature Review: There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly 

Bibliography 

Taback, S. (1997). There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Viking. ISBN: 978-0-670-86939-8

Plot Summary

The old lady swallows a fly followed by the rhyme, “I don’t know why she swallowed that fly, perhaps she’ll die.” Each page has a hole in her stomach to show what she has eaten, which subsequently makes her stomach bigger and bigger. The final animal she eats is a horse, which in fact seals her fate and kills her. The last pages show the animals in mourning and her headstone . The whimsical pages offer readers a hilarious warning of your fate if you eat a horse. 

Critical Analysis

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is a delightful and inventive take on a beloved classic. Taback infuses the story with humor through both the text and illustrations. The silliness of an old lady swallowing increasingly larger animals, coming to an end in a surprising and humorous resolution, appeals to children's sense of whimsy and silliness. The repetitive structure of the original rhyme, which is appealing to young children and helps them anticipate what will happen next. However, he adds his own creative twists and details to the story, such as additional animals and humorous asides, which enhance the storytelling experience. The illustrations used are simple and are loaded with blasts of color, leaning into yellows.

Review Excerpts

Horn Book Guide (March, 1998)

This version of the well-known folk poem includes additional comments (in rhyme) by the soon-to-be-eaten animals as they witness the zany old lady devouring progressively bigger and bigger animals until she, "of course," perishes. Bold, colorful artwork includes childlike cartoon drawings, detailed collages for individual perusing, and clever die-cut holes for gastrological peeking.

Connections

This book can be used to guide students through the steps of sequencing. This book can also be used to teach clear fiction elements. The sing-song story and fun word play in these books help to reinforce phonemic awareness, a foundational reading skill that involves the ability to identify, recognize, and differentiate letters and sounds.

Similar books:

Colandro, L. (2016). There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey. Scholastic.

Colandro, L. (2003). There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow. Scholastic.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Culture 5 - Asian American Literature Book Reviews

Book 1: Drawing from Memory by Allen Say 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Say, A. (2011). Drawing from memory. Scholastic Press. 2. PLOT SUMMARY In Drawing from Memory, Allen Say shares the story of his own childhood in Japan, where he dreamed of becoming a cartoonist despite his father's disapproval. At just 12 years old, he left home to study with Noro Shinpei, a famous Japanese cartoonist, becoming his apprentice while living on his own. Through a mix of photos, sketches, watercolor paintings, and comic panels, Say tells how art became his escape, his teacher, and his purpose. It’s a heartfelt memoir showing how following your passion, even when it’s scary, can shape your entire life. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Drawing from Memory is children’s biography at its best. This book follows pivotal moments in Say’s childhood, focusing on his journey from a young boy in Japan during World War II to a teenager preparing to leave for America. Say’s decision to recall these moments “from memory” not only explai...
Read more

Culture 1 - International Literature Book Reviews

Image
Culture 1 - International Literature Book Reviews Book 1: The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Mourlevat, J.-C. (2006). The pull of the ocean (Y. Maudet, Trans.). Delacorte Press. (Original work published 1999) 2. PLOT SUMMARY The Pull of the Ocean follows Yann Doutreleau, a 10-year-old boy who doesn’t speak and lives in rural France. After overhearing something terrifying, he leads his six older brothers, who are three sets of twins, on a risky escape from their abusive home, all the way toward the ocean. During each chapter the story is told from a different person’s point of view like the brothers, random strangers they meet, and even the people trying to find them. It’s a really creative way to show how everyone sees the same situation a little differently, and it gives the reader a deeper look at how strong the bond is between these brothers. Although it is written for middle schoolers, The Pull of the Ocean doesn’t shy away from tough topics like abuse, ...
Read more

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning      After six years of teaching 5th grade reading and writing, I’ve come to understand that there’s no such thing as a “typical” learner. Every class I’ve had has had a mix of personalities, learning styles, strengths, challenges and different social economic statuses. Still, it wasn’t until I fully embraced Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that I felt like I was truly teaching every student. At first, I thought I was already being flexible by offering things like graphic organizers, and occasionally letting my students type instead of writing by hand, and providing opportunities for reading with audiobooks, but I started noticing that many of my students were not as engaged as I’d like, especially my students who struggled with reading fluency or had difficulty expressing their thoughts in writing. They were present, but they weren’t really participating. Without fully knowing I was doing it, I decided to intentionally redesign my instru...
Read more