I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

PreS-K—In a holiday version of a familiar children's song, an old lady swallows a dry Thanksgiving pie and a succession of other foods, beginning with an entire jug of cider to moisten the pie. Although the cider rumbles and grumbles agreeably inside her, the other foods are not related. The woman swallows a salad to go with a squash, a pot to go with a turkey, and a 10-layer cake to go with the pot. While no one can accuse the original "I Know an Old Lady" of making sense, the animals devoured increase in size each time and fit into a more-or-less logical food chain. Jackson's version is redeemed, however, by the fun of rhymes such as "Her future looked murky, after that turkey" and an ending that shows the old lady as a giant balloon in a Thanksgiving Parade as she finally says, "I'm full." Schachner's watercolor illustrations are absolutely delightful. Children will find lots to examine and enjoy in these expressive pictures, particularly the repeated appearances of the woman's fluffy white cat.—Jackie Hechtkopf, Talent House School, Fairfax, VA

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