THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A BELL!

Skip Hinnant lives up to his name in his narration. With a bouncy intonation he lands perfectly on every rhyme, playing up both its silliness and the joy of the Chistmas season. The story itself is a variation of the familiar favorite THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. Art Labriola's musical accompaniment characterizes the season with snatches of familiar tunes and lots of bells in his instrumentation. The story tells of a big-mouthed, big-bellied woman who swallows an amazing accumulation of Christmas bounty, beginning with a bell and ending with gifts and reindeer. Sleigh bells signal page-turns for new readers. The accompanying book is filled with humorous holiday illustrations by Jared Lee. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]