I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

These "I Know an Old Lady Who..." books are multiplying like bunnies, and most are cute but schlocky books with minimal value. This one, though, is hilarious, and close enough to the original folktale ("Perhaps she'll die") that kids are hooked. Plus it's terribly silly without being insipid. The rhymes are so funny, ("Oh my gosh, she swallowed a squash!") and in the repetitive countdown, kids will not be able to resist joining in.

Curriculum: a terrific Thanksgiving read aloud.

Jackson, A. & Schachner, J. (1997). I know an old lady who swallowed a pie. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

Have you ever read the book, "There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly?" Well, this is another one just like it....set around Thanksgiving.

My favorite thing about this book is all of the new words that readers can be introduced to. Words like "rumbled" "murky" "pallid." See why children's books are amazing?

I did find the end page a bit weird (she became a balloon in a parade!). But overall, I smiled. I want to do this book in storytime soon!

An old woman comes for Thanksgiving dinner and eats and eats all of the food until she is the size of a blimp. The family pulls her in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
This is a holiday version of a classic silly song. It's good rhyming practice, the kiddos love to try and guess the next word that rhymes. It's also a good example of a classic song that everyone knows being appropriated to tell a new story.

*sigh* Finally! A book about an old lady swallowing things that actually makes a little sense. Except for that pot...I still don't understand that one AT ALL. But, AT LEAST SHE DOESN'T DIE!!!! =D

So much better than that stupid fly version. This one has to be the best so far. =)

I don't know how I missed this classic from 1997, but it's a gem. The rhymes flow effortlessly and amusingly,

"I know an old lady who swallowed a squash.
OH MY GOSH, A FAT YELLOW SQUASH!"

The focus of each rhyme, however, is not always clearly depicted in the whimsical pen and watercolor illustrations. Still, great fun for Thanksgiving and perfect for storytime.

"I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie" by Alison Jackson is about an old lady who ate so much on Thanksgiving that she was the size of a parade balloon by the end of the picture book. The old lady swallowed an entire pie, a ten layer cake, and a cooking pot, just to name a few.

I liked this story. The amount of things the old lady consumed was disturbing, though. By the end of the book, she was ten times the size she was when she started. Its a fast, witty book with some repetition, which makes for a fun quick read.

In class, I would read this book before Thanksgiving and talk about portion control. I would have a discussion about how eating too much isn't healthy for your body, but it's still okay to splurge on special occasions.

I liked this book for several reasons. This book is a spinoff of “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly” .The main message in this book is to entertain the reader by telling a story of a lady who swallows a whole pie, told through a rhyme. I enjoyed that the book is Thanksgiving themed – young readers will enjoy the seasonal aspect of the book and can relate to parts of the story mentioned (eating turkey, drinking cider, etc). This makes the book appropriate for the young audience and their experiences. It is also silly enough and crazy enough for readers to understand that these events did not actually happen but still provide entertainment. The rhyme makes it easy for readers to follow along and the repetition provides an show more element of predictability for young readers. Lastly, I enjoyed the watercolor illustrations. They are predominantly pastel colors but the sketchy-style lines help to animate the story. show less