There Was a Wee Lassie Who Swallowed a Midgie

by Rebecca Colby, Kate McLelland (Illustrator)

Overview

This is the hilarious twist on a much-loved rhyme that became a best-selling, tongue-twisting Scottish sensation!

Wee Lassie swallows a succession of Scotland's favorite creatures to catch that pesky midgie – including a puffin, a Scottie dog, a seal and even Nessie. After all that, she can't still be hungry. Can she? Unfold the final page for a big surprise

Bold and colorful artwork by Kate McLelland, illustrator of There's a Hole in my Bagpipes, Wee Hamish, Wee Hamish, brings Rebecca Colby's quirky story to life in this fabulously fun picture book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782508076
Publisher:	Kelpies
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Colby lives in North Yorkshire, England, with her husband and children. There Was a Wee Lassie Who Swallowed a Midgie is her first book. Kate McLelland is an accomplished illustrator and printmaker who studied at Edinburgh College of Art. She is the creator of the Isla and Pickle picture book series and the illustrator of Hello Scottish Animals, There's a Hole in my Bagpipes, Wee Hamish, Wee Hamish and bestselling picture book There Was a Wee Lassie Who Swallowed a Midgie. Kate lives near Edinburgh with her husband, two children and a puppy.

Editorial Reviews

'Delightful... As an easy and entertaining way to introduce Scottish animals, this would be a great book to use with young children who are learning about Scotland.'
– BYU Children's Book & Media Review

'The repetition and humour are ideal for reading aloud and, combined with Kate McLelland's funny, engaging illustrations, would be very popular with young children.'
– St John's Church Magazine

From the Publisher

10/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—"There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" now has a Scottish twist. It stars a wee lassie, pictured with red hair and her arms akimbo with her hands on her waist. She wears a blue blouse, a Scottish plaid skirt, and green waders. Over the course of the story, she manages to swallow the midgie, a trout ("that flip-flopped and swim-swam and bubbled about"), a puffin ("as if it were nothing"), a Scottie ("completely dotty"), an eagle ("it's really not legal"), a seal ("like no big deal"), a shaggy Scottish cow ("I mean—wow"), and a Nessie ("it's especially messy.") She tops all of that off by swallowing a loch ("it was massive, but och!") The loch, of course, causes every animal to be washed out, which is shown in the last double page illustration with all the creatures swimming about. Readers can follow the various animals' journeys through cross-section illustrations of the lassie's "internal plumbing system." They show the trout chasing the midgie ("all teeny and squidgy") though pipes, trap doors, etc. as all the animals move through her body. Young readers may well wonder how the little girl got a chandelier and hanging pictures in her stomach, not to mention the Scottie's bunch of colorful balloons. And though the Old Lady dies at the end of the traditional tale, the wee lassie in this book is shown happily contemplating a sandwich. Primary grade teachers will want to use this when they compare similar stories. Great fun and a good purchase for most libraries.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, formerly at Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

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