There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover!

Children's Literature - Mary Hynes-Berry

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day here is another variation of the well beloved cumulative song "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly," In this case, she starts with a clover (though she doesn't roll over) and proceeds to a daisy, a butterfly, a bird, a pot, some gold to fill it with and a fiddle—which brings around a wee little leprechaun who dances all those swallowed things out. Jared Lee's illustrations are somewhat in the style of the old Mad Magazine, suitable enough for this variant. While this is not great literature, it is good enough fun. It might be used to inspire young writers to do their own variation of the famous song. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2—In this goofy twist on the classic cumulative rhyme "There was an old lady who swallowed a clover… but she didn't roll over." Indeed, she also gulps down a daisy, a butterfly, a bird, a pot, gold coins, and a fiddle. At the end of this strange feast, she dances with a "wee little leprechaun" and her giggling causes a rainbow to pop out of her mouth. While not an obvious holiday selection, the book ends with a "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" wish. Lee's comically absurd cartoons will have children chuckling, but some of the rhymes are awkward to read aloud ("She swallowed the bird to glide with the butterfly"), and the explanations are often a stretch ("She swallowed the daisy to brighten the clover").—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada