I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

by Alan Mills, PisHier (Illustrator), Thomas Hellman (Vocal By)

Overview

A fresh rendition of a classic children’s tune followed by a buffet of silly sing-along songs.

Get to know a quirky old lady who swallows a heap of animals—from a dog, cat, bird and spider to that infamous little fly. The children’s classic, for which singer-songwriter Alan Mills is best known, sets the table for more timeless folk tunes, written over 50 years ago. Tongue-in-cheek and smart at heart, this buffet of singalong alphabet, counting and rhyming songs is jaw-droppingly silly as it is devourable.

The accompanying recordings can be accessed with a QR printed in the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9782898360718
Publisher:	The Secret Mountain
Publication date:	06/01/2024
Series:	Digital Audio Edition
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	1,051,607
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Alan Mills (1913-1977) was a Canadian folksinger, writer, and actor. He was best known for popularizing Canadian folk music, and he composed the classic folk song I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (with lyrics by Rose Bonne) which was later recorded by Burl Ives and Peter Paul and Mary, amongst many others. He released several albums on Folkways Records of Canadian French folk songs and his performance at the 1960 Newport Folk Festival was preserved on a Vanguard recording. Alan Mills was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1974.

PisHier is an illustrator, painter and animator who's work has been published in several Canadian magazines and newspapers. He has also illustrated several children's books, including Monstrueux secret de légumes and Simone et la plus belle journée d'été. He lives in Québec City.

Editorial Reviews

"A dozen children’s songs by a famous Canadian singer-songwriter are here rendered for modern listeners in lively, cheerful arrangements and with illustrated lyrics that invite singing along." —Kirkus Reviews


"Just perfect for the preschool crowd." —Stephanie Bange, School Library Journal


"The very youngest among you will find some delight here." —Stefan Shepherd, zooglobble.com

From the Publisher

2014-07-16
A dozen children's songs by a famous Canadian singer-songwriter are here rendered for modern listeners in lively, cheerful arrangements and with illustrated lyrics that invite singing along. Beyond the familiar title song, this collection features alphabet and counting songs, as well as nursery songs introducing months of the year, travel destinations and musical instruments. PisHier (Pierre Girard) offers illustrations featuring round-headed humans and stylized animals on backgrounds of bright, off-spectrum colors. These are energetic but not as sophisticated as those done by Abner Graboff for two of these pieces in the 1960s. The title song is pictured in its entirety, occupying nine double-page spreads. Each animal appears on the left-hand page and then again opposite, inside the old lady's guitar-shaped stomach. Others are far more compressed, with lyrics paired to just one or perhaps two illustrations. There are some missteps. Though the words in "Sailing Over the Sea" say the seven sailors are bearded and unshaven, six of the seven depicted have no facial hair. The lyrics for "The Hungry Goat" extend over two spreads. Among the scenes shown on the first is the goat tied to the railroad track; this doesn't happen in the lyrics until after the page turn. Emilie Clepper and Thomas Hellman perform the songs with attractive close harmony and an interesting variety of instrumental backup. The illustrations are amusing, but the real reason to purchase the book is for the accompanying CD. (Songbook/picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews