Pam Adams (1) (1919–2010)
Author of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
For other authors named Pam Adams, see the disambiguation page.
Works by Pam Adams
Associated Works
Book of Ghosts : An Imagination Book (Child's Play Imagination Book) (1974) — some editions — 31 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1919
- Date of death
- 2010
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Swindon Art College
Central School of Art, London - Occupations
- children's book author
book Illustrator
graphic designer - Short biography
- Pam Adams (1919-2010) was a British children's book author and illustrator, and a graphic designer. Born in Swindon in 1919, she was educated at the Swindon Art College and at the Central School of Art in London, and worked for many years as a graphic designer in the advertising field. In the 1970s she returned to Swindon, and teamed up with Michael Twinn, who had recently founded the publishing house Child’s Play. Her first children's book, There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, was published in 1972, and remains a bestseller for the publishing house. After writing and illustrating countless other picture-books, Adams died in 2010, at the age of 91.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK
- Map Location
- UK
Members
Reviews
A wicked witch and a kindly wizard battle it out in this imaginative tale from prolific English picture-book creator Pam Adams, with a group of children being the prize. The witch encourages the children in all sorts of bad behavior, from littering and playing in the street to starting fires and watching too much television. Each time the wizard steps in to turn the tables on the witch - in the littering scene she turns into a litter bug, in the fire scene her broom catches flame - and to show more show the children a better way...
I have been familiar with Pam Adams for many years, and have run across her picture-book presentations of such classic childhood songs as There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and Old MacDonald Had a Farm many times. That said, I've never really taken the time to look at her work closely. Magic: An Imagination Book is the first of her books I have truly read, spurred on largely because it features a witch, and witchy picture-books are a pet project of mine. I'm so glad that I did pick it up, as I discovered a wonderfully fun little volume, one that is well designed and instantly engaging. The book itself is quite short (maybe 2.5 inches?), and quite long, and features brilliantly colorful artwork that jumps off the page. The pages themselves are of a vibrant hue, and the cartoon-like figures also, while die-cuts on each page create a more interactive reading experience. The back and forth of the story is amusing, communicating the overall message about good behavior and healthy habits in a fun way. The book was originally published in 1978, and has a vintage feeling to it, but I think some picture-book readers today would still enjoy it, if they can track it down. For my part, I hope to read more of Pam Adams' work! show less
I have been familiar with Pam Adams for many years, and have run across her picture-book presentations of such classic childhood songs as There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and Old MacDonald Had a Farm many times. That said, I've never really taken the time to look at her work closely. Magic: An Imagination Book is the first of her books I have truly read, spurred on largely because it features a witch, and witchy picture-books are a pet project of mine. I'm so glad that I did pick it up, as I discovered a wonderfully fun little volume, one that is well designed and instantly engaging. The book itself is quite short (maybe 2.5 inches?), and quite long, and features brilliantly colorful artwork that jumps off the page. The pages themselves are of a vibrant hue, and the cartoon-like figures also, while die-cuts on each page create a more interactive reading experience. The back and forth of the story is amusing, communicating the overall message about good behavior and healthy habits in a fun way. The book was originally published in 1978, and has a vintage feeling to it, but I think some picture-book readers today would still enjoy it, if they can track it down. For my part, I hope to read more of Pam Adams' work! show less
A little macabre to be honest - didn't remember the whole bit about death when I read it as a kid!
That being said, my 1 year old loves to listen to the book (as long as I make the animal sounds as well) and loves to play with the book itself because of the large holes.
That being said, my 1 year old loves to listen to the book (as long as I make the animal sounds as well) and loves to play with the book itself because of the large holes.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked this book for two reasons. One reason was because the writing allows for the children to join in and have fun because it is nonsense. A lady can definitely not eat a cat, dog, cow, or horse but it makes them laugh to think that she could. The writing is very poetic with its rhymes. I also liked the illustrations since you could see the different animals in her stomach since the book had holes to reveal the pictures. On that note, I did not like show more how the continuation of the rhyme was written in very small print and went in a circle around the hole. It made it very hard to read. The main idea of the story was to make a book about a fun rhyme. show less
We don't pull this one out often enough, probably because I prefer to sing the song :)
It's very cleverly designed - every page you turn, you can see how the old woman is cramming more and more animals into her belly until the horse fills it entirely - then she's dead, of course! (And that's precisely why one should never swallow a horse.)
It's very cleverly designed - every page you turn, you can see how the old woman is cramming more and more animals into her belly until the horse fills it entirely - then she's dead, of course! (And that's precisely why one should never swallow a horse.)
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Statistics
- Works
- 55
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 5,924
- Popularity
- #4,164
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 68
- ISBNs
- 198
- Languages
- 5