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There was an Old Lady

Pre-School-Grade 3. 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? Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library

Literacy 
Resources

Story Tips

  • Encourage Your Child

    • When your child tells you the ending words on a page or helps you "read" the story, celebrate together!

  • Make Reading Together a Habit

    • ​When you read to your child every day, it cecomes a routine that your child will remember as comforing!

  • Point Out the Details

    • ​Notice details and the small changes in the illustrations of a book. It will help your child become a good observer and see differences in the shapes of letters when learning to read.

  • Predict the Story

    • ​Ask your child to guess what will be on the next page of the book you are reading together!

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