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There Was an Old...
There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish
There was an old pirate . . . who swallowed a fish, a bird, a map, some gold, and even a whole pirate ship! Will the Old Pirate sink to the bottom of the deep, dark sea? Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow! Jennifer Ward's take on the ?Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly? song is perfectly matched with Steve Gray's zany digital illustrations.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
34 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Ward
51 books42 followersJennifer Ward is the author of more than 25 award-winning nonfiction and fiction books for children and adults.
Her books have been translated into many languages and featured in Martha Stewart's Living, Ranger Rick, on NPR, television's Animal Planet network, and on many popular blogs such as Soule Mama.
Most of Jennifer's books are inspired by science and nature and artfully combine elements of STEM & literacy.
She writes full-time from her home in Illinois where she lives with her husband and two dogs and is easily distracted by everything outside of her windows - particularly if it has feathers!
Her books have been translated into many languages and featured in Martha Stewart's Living, Ranger Rick, on NPR, television's Animal Planet network, and on many popular blogs such as Soule Mama.
Most of Jennifer's books are inspired by science and nature and artfully combine elements of STEM & literacy.
She writes full-time from her home in Illinois where she lives with her husband and two dogs and is easily distracted by everything outside of her windows - particularly if it has feathers!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 5, 2012
A twist on The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly--this old pirate is swallowing pirate-related items, each more ridiculous than the one before as he progress from fish to treasure chests, and eventually to a sail and an entire ship. The pirate jargon is great: "Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow!" and the illustrations are colorful and fun. The only thing that didn't quite work for me was that unlike the Old Lady version where after the fly, she actually has a reason for the successive items she swallows--there is no reasoning in this book, so the reader never really knows why the pirate is swallowing all of these weird items. In fact, the fish is the only reasonable thing that he does swallow and that's the one that the author says "Why did he swallow it? I don't know."
Anyway--despite that I think that this book is a fun choice that will especially appeal to boys and I will be adding it to my elementary school library.
Anyway--despite that I think that this book is a fun choice that will especially appeal to boys and I will be adding it to my elementary school library.
June 6, 2013
Brought home to read with X since we love their other books.
Librarian & Bookworm Mama's dream conversation happened this evening. [cue the perma-grin and warm heart!]
X:"Mama I want to be in this book". (studying the last page... where the pirate sunk to the bottom of the sea.)
Mama: "Me too, lovey. I always want to be in the books I love. You can if you use your imaginiation."
Then he proceeded to try to push his head through the page.
Librarian & Bookworm Mama's dream conversation happened this evening. [cue the perma-grin and warm heart!]
X:"Mama I want to be in this book". (studying the last page... where the pirate sunk to the bottom of the sea.)
Mama: "Me too, lovey. I always want to be in the books I love. You can if you use your imaginiation."
Then he proceeded to try to push his head through the page.
June 16, 2024
Not as funny as I was hoping it would be, even with the silly illustrations
October 12, 2017
I'm standing here at 'Chipwrecked', a restaurant in Pismo Beach, CA, waiting for my food to be prepared, I saw this book and decided I'd take a peek...
Conclusion: the book was lame, but the lunch was super tasty.
Conclusion: the book was lame, but the lunch was super tasty.
February 27, 2019
I love this series of books and the kids do too!
Based on the traditional story- these follow the same pattern with a new theme
Introduces concepts of themes and encourages children to compare the authors previous work
Lovely illustrations as well
Recommended
Based on the traditional story- these follow the same pattern with a new theme
Introduces concepts of themes and encourages children to compare the authors previous work
Lovely illustrations as well
Recommended
June 13, 2017
Ward, J. (2012). There was an old pirate who swallowed a fish. Las Vegas, NV: Two Lions.
March 28, 2023
I read four or five of the books in this series and they are very cute. Similar to the old lady who swallowed…books.
They are funny. I think the first graders are going to love them.
They are funny. I think the first graders are going to love them.
Read
August 23, 2024Better for older kids, not ones under 4 who won't understand the repetitiveness.
March 15, 2026
Lyrical story
Entertaining and engaging. We enjoyed reading it. The ending was to be expected, he swallowed so many things. A journey through lyric.
Entertaining and engaging. We enjoyed reading it. The ending was to be expected, he swallowed so many things. A journey through lyric.
September 21, 2016
Inspired by the Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, this die-hard pirate swallows a fish, a bird, a map, some gold, a chest, a plank, a sail, and mast, and finally a ship! "Yo ho ho! Watch is belly grow!"
March 10, 2013
I love pirate books. I guess I've been in love with them from the time I first watched Peter Pan about a hundred years ago. Who wouldn't? They have such great outfits!
Well, my grandson and I read "There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Fish". Delightfully written by Jennifer Ward and beautifully illustrated by Steve Gray.
This is a book that builds with fun as each page is turned. We start out simply enough that "There was an old pirate who swallowed a fish. With a swoosh and a swish, down went that fish. Blimey! But that fish was slimy! Why did he swallow it? I don't know. Yo ho ho. Watch his belly grow!"
By the third page, Andrew was gleefully saying it with me.
As I read it, I picked up speed and to my grandson's delight, we raced through the paragraphs laughing hysterically at the odd pirate's antics.
Of course, we had the obligatory discussion that we never put things of this sort in our mouths. That being said, it was a fun book, with adorably funny fish and satisfying conclusion.
Well, my grandson and I read "There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Fish". Delightfully written by Jennifer Ward and beautifully illustrated by Steve Gray.
This is a book that builds with fun as each page is turned. We start out simply enough that "There was an old pirate who swallowed a fish. With a swoosh and a swish, down went that fish. Blimey! But that fish was slimy! Why did he swallow it? I don't know. Yo ho ho. Watch his belly grow!"
By the third page, Andrew was gleefully saying it with me.
As I read it, I picked up speed and to my grandson's delight, we raced through the paragraphs laughing hysterically at the odd pirate's antics.
Of course, we had the obligatory discussion that we never put things of this sort in our mouths. That being said, it was a fun book, with adorably funny fish and satisfying conclusion.
August 27, 2015
SUMMARY: This is a new rendition of the song/poem "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". The pirate swallows one thing after another (either to protect his stuff from others or because he just can't help himself--I couldn't tell). He ends up by eating his ship and falling to the bottom of the ocean where one assumes things do not end well for him.
ILLUSTRATIONS: The pictures look like larger than life cartoons and are digitally rendered. They are fun to look at with plenty of rich detail.
THE GOOD: All those young and blood thirsty pirates in training will enjoy following the poem and repeating it time and again, especially the "Yo ho ho, watch his belly grow." This would be a fun group story time book.
THE NOT AS GOOD: This was far from my favorite rendition of this song. For one thing, there was no punch line at the end that made sense. I expected all those things in his belly to do something fantastic. Instead they just sank to the bottom of the sea with him. This is a rather gruesome ending as well.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Grades K-2
ILLUSTRATIONS: The pictures look like larger than life cartoons and are digitally rendered. They are fun to look at with plenty of rich detail.
THE GOOD: All those young and blood thirsty pirates in training will enjoy following the poem and repeating it time and again, especially the "Yo ho ho, watch his belly grow." This would be a fun group story time book.
THE NOT AS GOOD: This was far from my favorite rendition of this song. For one thing, there was no punch line at the end that made sense. I expected all those things in his belly to do something fantastic. Instead they just sank to the bottom of the sea with him. This is a rather gruesome ending as well.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Grades K-2
February 24, 2013
This was a kindle daily deal and I couldn't pass it up. My son loves goofy little stories and this was no exception. Of course you probably know the old Rhyme/song, There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. This is similar but you can't read it to the same tune.
This book is just goofy, and completely ridiculous but still a fun little read. It is just amazing what this pirate swallows though the course of the book. I won't spoil the surprise for anyone who wants to give it a read.
I gave this three stars because my son loved it and I had a good time reading it to him. I read different parts in different funny voices that cause both my son and my wife to laugh out loud while I read. The story is a bit dull but then again, I'm an adult reviewing a kids book. Lets just say this is no Curious George. The book itself is more like a 2 start review, but we had fun and it was worth the .99$ I paid for it. So three stars it is.
This book is just goofy, and completely ridiculous but still a fun little read. It is just amazing what this pirate swallows though the course of the book. I won't spoil the surprise for anyone who wants to give it a read.
I gave this three stars because my son loved it and I had a good time reading it to him. I read different parts in different funny voices that cause both my son and my wife to laugh out loud while I read. The story is a bit dull but then again, I'm an adult reviewing a kids book. Lets just say this is no Curious George. The book itself is more like a 2 start review, but we had fun and it was worth the .99$ I paid for it. So three stars it is.
February 11, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I read it to a classroom of 3rd graders this week and they said they loved it. Yes, it is just like the classic I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly but this pirate swallows some crazy stuff and “Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow!” The kids chimed in on this one line refrain in the beginning but before the book was over, their pirate accent was belting out the last three lines of the whole refrain. Yes, he does get quite large and no, he doesn’t explode, it’s not that dramatic. The characters are funny as they reminded me of Sponge Bob Square Pants with the big eyes and the exaggerated features. The pictures are bright and colorful and on the glossy paper, they really stand out. It is an excellent, funny book.
April 11, 2013
Think There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, except swap lady for pirate and fly for fish. A humorous pirate read aloud that gets zanier by the page and features digital artwork.
I was hoping the items the pirate swallowed would make an escape from his belly, but alas the poor pirate's eating habits just landed him at the bottom of the deep dark sea. The refrain is really catchy ("Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow!") and the strange items he swallowed reminded me of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson), but ultimately this one was just okay for me.
I was hoping the items the pirate swallowed would make an escape from his belly, but alas the poor pirate's eating habits just landed him at the bottom of the deep dark sea. The refrain is really catchy ("Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow!") and the strange items he swallowed reminded me of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson), but ultimately this one was just okay for me.
May 31, 2014
A new storytime favorite for this children's librarian! Pirate books will forever be popular and this one will be no exception.
Reader's are introduced to a fish swallowing pirate. After swallowing the fish the pirate also downs a bird, a map, a chest and gold, a ship's plank and sail, and finally the ship itself. It's no wonder that the pirate sinks to the bottom of the ocean!
Children will love being able to say "Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow!" But my favorite line from this story: "Blimey! But that fish was slimey!"
Reader's are introduced to a fish swallowing pirate. After swallowing the fish the pirate also downs a bird, a map, a chest and gold, a ship's plank and sail, and finally the ship itself. It's no wonder that the pirate sinks to the bottom of the ocean!
Children will love being able to say "Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow!" But my favorite line from this story: "Blimey! But that fish was slimey!"
March 14, 2013
This is a twist on There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. This silly pirate swallows all sorts of piratey things. The repetitive text is great for kids to join in and help "read" the book. My 3 year old loves this book. Also, the pirate does not die in the end (like some versions of The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly). Read the book to find out the surprise ending :)
September 12, 2013
A fun twist on the book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. This one, of course, includes a pirate who swallows all sorts of things: a slimy fish, a map, a treasure chest ... even a ship. It's playful, silly and we love saying, "Yo ho ho! Watch his belly grow". The best part of this book though, is the illustrations!!! They are vivid, humorous, and just fun to look at.
January 8, 2018
I was originally going to give this book 4 stars, but it got knocked down because of the ending. It follows the standard “Old lady who swallowed…" books. This time a pirate starts with a fish. It was slimy. Yoo Hoo Hoo watch his belly grow. Overall it was a fun book with colorful and eye catching illustrations. But if you thought the lady dying was bad, this isn’t much better of an ending.
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March 20, 2022This version of the Swallowed books, has a pirtate as the hungry character. He swallows all kinds of pirate based things. This is a fun tale, that has classic materials and a few things kids may not know about, that a pirate would use. The animation is well done. The lack of creative reasons he swallows the material, make it a bit to repetitive when reading. Overall a great tale.
January 21, 2020
I like the idea of a pirate version of this song, but this book falls short. While the old woman who swallowed a fly went on to swallow other stuff to catch the fly, this pirate is just swallowing one thing after another. He starts with a fish, then just swallows more stuff - not to catch the fish. Meh. I don't care for it.
June 19, 2020
cute. illustrations are so fun. what is it about being a pirate? i would love for some one to tell me ... but i never wanna offend any one ... are there really "real pirates" out there some where? if so ... i wanna leave their job or life alone ...but i can imagine it would be extremely entertaining and fun!! so exciting.
July 19, 2013
The idea of this book is very cute, but the wording does not exactly follow the tune that you could sing this book too. Also it was a bit too long for the 3-8 year olds that I used this book with. I still haven't found that great read aloud pirate book to fit the 3-6 year old group. :(
September 18, 2013
In this humorous take on “There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly”, a pirate sinks to the bottom of the sea after eating a series of objects that culminates in downing his ship. The tale is told with a similar rhyming and rhythmic cadence to the original story.
July 10, 2015
I like this take on "the old lady who swallowed a fly" and I think the kids will really like the illustrations as they are very cartoonish (in a good way.) The whole story w/ pictures was ridiculous and put me in mind of Spongebob Squarepants so I think it will be a hit with the kids.
January 3, 2018
Some of these stories are outrageous/weird...but this one is quite cute. My 4yo especially liked the ending couplet on each grouping -- "Blimey! That fish was slimy..."
Very cute version worth reading!
Very cute version worth reading!
September 12, 2022
The rhyming was a little on the clunky side. I know that most of these books are about things kids are not supposed to eat, but this one felt a little more iffy on things kids might actually try to eat. Not going to use it for the toddler story time.
December 28, 2012
My Grandson loved the pictures - especially the googly-eyed ones! It's simply a rhyme that grows and grows, just like the pirates belly!
January 15, 2013
A piratey take on the old lady who swallowed a fly. Funny with some great repetitive parts.
April 11, 2013
silly pictures in a popular kids style (slightly abstracted, gigantic mismatched eyes, etc.) new take on an old favorite. kids may enjoy a pirate version more than the traditional.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews