![]() ![]() ![]() I love the upbeat rhythm of the first line, the slowing down of the second, the pause, which you must hold as long as possible, and the low tone of the third, which you must accompany by rolling your eyes as theatrically as you can. Oh, just typing that wee little bit makes me laugh. "There was an old lady that swallowed a fly Anyway, I digress, sorry, we're on childrens folk songs and more specifically a particular childrens folk song, writer unknown as usual, made famous by Burl Ives in his musical guise: There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. He was also a great friend of John Steinbeck, travelling chronicler of dust bowl America. ![]() He was Daddy Rufus in The Big Country, for example, you know - super speech at the party, shoots his own son, Chuck and Gregory Peckory have a big fight. However he was also a Broadway star and perhaps most famously a film star. Please! Just in case you haven't, he was a folk singer mostly known for his renditions of traditional childrens songs. Please tell me you've heard of Burl Ives. Bookbag thinks it's a must-have and more than worth the wait for Amazon to source it for you. Summary: One of the most manic picture books around, the Simms Taback version of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is a gloriously busy book with a wonderful blending of the traditional and the surreal. ![]()
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