THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY

One cannot help but start to hum when one sees this familiar title. The American folk poem begs to be visualized as well. Simms Taback’s magnificent bright-on-dark mixed-media and collage creation won the Caldecott Honor Award and captivates book lovers both young and old. Tom Chapin culminates this recording with an authentic, jaunty rendition of the favorite tune, but not before he has read the song as story. In doing this, he provides pauses to savor the details of Taback’s work--the myriad of fly types, the newspaper headlines of creature disaster, and the increasing size of the old lady. The pleasure is the listener’s, as well as Chapin’s. A.R. 2003 Grammy Award Winner for Best Spoken Word Album for Children © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]