School Library Journal Review
| K-Gr 2-Yet another take on the insatiable appetite of the Old Lady, this adaptation offers a few twists. The refrain, "perhaps she'll cry," makes a less-dire alternative to previous iterations of the poem, while enough creatures (an ant, a flea, a slug, a worm, a roach, among others) are shown roaming around in the woman's stomach to rank high on the "kid-approval/disgusting" meter. Bright colors and large collage images introduce each unlucky creature with visuals of a tongue and teeth and a vividly pink stomach interior. Traditional cumulative verses bring rhythm to the rhyme with creative additions adapted to the topic-"She liked them poached./She swallowed a roach," or "She was on a rant when/she swallowed that ant." A play on words foreshadows the final surprise as the old lady "croaked!/...on her lily pad all night. Ribbit. Ribbit!" Readers of this version will find sly humor and a bit of the unexpected presented with bold art.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services Plano ISD, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Horn Book Review
| This favorite children's song has spawned many variations, and this one--in which the eponymous character is a frog--could have made an amusing choice for storytime in more skilled hands. Even if we accepted the notion that worms and slugs qualify as bugs, the rhymes are frequently off. Downing's amateurish collages have a kindergarten-art-project look. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
