Teri Sloat

"One goes zip. Two go zoom. / Three witches glide from room to room." So begins this rollicking, rhyming witchy counting book, as ten witches fly about, eventually mounting the same long broom. The counting then goes in reverse, as one after another of the aerial magic-workers falls off, or is ejected, leaving one to float across the moon...

As a confirmed lover of all things witchy, Zip! Zoom! On a Broom appealed to me from the minute I glimpsed its cover. I enjoyed Teri Sloat's rhyming show more tale, and think that the narrative structure works very well whether one approaches it is a story or as a counting book. The artwork by French illustrator Rosalinde Bonnet is colorful and creepy, in a fun, entertaining way. Recommended to anyone looking for new witchy stories, or for Halloween counting books. show less

After reading Joanne and Kenn Compton's revisionist take on this Appalachian folktale - they substitute folk-hero Jack for the squirrel, in their adaptation of Sody Sallyratus - I thought it might be nice to read a more traditional telling, and picked up this picture-book version from Teri Sloat. I'm glad that I did, as it is a very engaging book, with an amusing cumulative story - the members of a family are eaten by a bear, one by one, as they make their way to the store for some sody show more sallyratus (baking soda), until finally, it falls to the family's pet squirrel to rescue them! - and appealing artwork.

As with the Comptons' retelling, this Sody Sallyratus makes mention, in the brief author's note on source material, of the version of this story found in Richard Chase's 1948 Grandfather Tales, a collection I really need to get around to reading! I liked the fact that it is the squirrel who rescues everyone, in this more traditional telling, and appreciated the fact that Sloat includes a recipe for "The Old Woman's Bakin' Soda Biscuits," as well as a brief explanation of what baking soda is, at the rear of the book. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those with an interest in Appalachian traditions. show less

Slightly disturbing. This is the story of an old lady who continues to eat live animals to show the food chain. Yes, live animals. While I think it’s helpful to show that the food chain starts small then gets big, I don’t think I’d read this one to children. At least families with fish as pets shouldn’t read this to their children. You may come home to find your fish gone.  But, I did appreciate the author spinning the old tale of the old lady who swallowed a fly. At least the show more pictures were colorful and interesting.

Details: This book was written to interest children in grades K-3 and is on a 1.8 reading leel. show less

This is a charming, colorful variation of the poem about the old lady who swallowed a fly! I really enjoyed the use of water/ocean animals and the action words that described the process. Fun illustrations, too! Cute book!!