There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell!

There Was an Old Lady

by Lucille Colandro, Jared Lee (Illustrator)

A wacky new Christmas version of the classic "There Was an Old Lady" song!

This time, the hungry old lady swallows a bell, bows, gifts, a sack, a sleigh, and some reindeer! She's about to swallow a candy cane for dessert, when she hears a jolly "Ho! Ho! Ho!" Santa Claus is waiting for a ride! Watch what happens when she whistles, with amazing results!

With rhyming text and funny illustrations, this lively version of a classic song will appeal to young readers with every turn of the page--a fun story for Christmastime!

This is a wonderful companion to Colandro and Lee's other Old Lady books!

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Humor, Fiction, School

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book...is she related to Matter-Eater Lad from The Legion of Super-Heroes (sorry, you really have to be into comics to get that). If you are aware of the TWAOLWS series there really is no reason given why she swallows so many things; but in the end everything works out and the merriment is regurgitated!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because our Christmas schedule was so off, I read some of these books when we came back. My kinders loves them.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute version of the basic story. This time the lady keeps swallowing things related to Christmas to make a surprise later on. There is always a nice twist at the end of this series. Whimsical and colorful illustrations will keep kids laughing. A great read-aloud book for younger children. Highly recommended for Grades K-2.

[Oliver.R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book 👍

[Stephanie Smoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The same old lady is back again swallowing varies items but with a Christmas or Holiday theme. Great rhyming book as well as sequencing book to use in literacy lessons.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

what doesn't this old lady swallow? my kids love all of these books

[Beth Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I really enjoy! I like the rhyming words and how it builds on each other. I use this book in my classroom for retelling and comprehension. The little old lady swallows all kinds of objects, then at the end Santa is ready to ride his sleigh!!!

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading these books to my students and now my great-granddaughter.

[Béatrice · Rating 2 out of 5]

wtf was that

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how many of these we can make, but we keep reading them and loving them.

I wish she would tell…

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is another book in the series of There Was An Old Lady books. This one is perfect for Christmas. The little old lady this time swallows a bell, bows, gifts, a sack, a sleigh, and even some reindeer. All to help Santa Clause in the end. "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell!" by Lucille Colandro is full of rhyming text and colorful illustrations by Jared Lee.

We love these books by Lucille Colandro, they are so fun with their rhyming text and so creative with words that make kids giggle and and laugh through out the book. Her books are so fun that younger kids are able to try to read it by memorization. It's a great starter book for early readers with the text and rhyming throughout the book. It's also perfect to teach rhyming to children. The illustrations throughout the book are colorful and unique. My kids often wonder how the little old lady swallows the bigger food. Check out this book for the holidays.

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of books are so zany, funny, and upbeat that any kid would enjoy the storyl ine. My students love the pictures in the books as they show exactly what is being described. This can be a learning experience for children who have never visited a beach. For those who have it can be an extension to their experience. I would use this book for various lessons. For example reading this book and having many of the real and found objects from this book would be amazing. I can have the children place the items that the Old Lady swallowed in order from the first to the last thing she ate.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in this popular series, I discovered this one at a bookstore while browsing. Of course, the old lady is at it again when she swallows a bell. Why did she swallow the bell? The old lady won't tell. She then continues to swallow various items, such as some bows, gifts, a sack and even a sleigh! The audience will no doubt guess what the old lady is up to. A light and funny read-aloud story to share at Christmas.

[Linzi Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Picture book

Reading Level: grade 1-3

Topics & Themes:This book is a rhyming book. It's setting is at Christmas time.

Curricular Use: I would use this book to illustrate rhyming within children's literature in a read aloud or shared reading.

Social: This book talks about the Christmas holiday and Santa Claus.

Literary Elements: Uses rhyming throughout the book and a lot of humor!

Text & Pictures: This book uses great illustrations to express the text

[Leann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the series of Old Lady Who books... I read and reread these to my preschool class and while they are not my favorite books the students love them and I have started to build some curriculum around these books. They are great for pre readers who want to be able to "read" the book themselves.

[Kristy Schwertfeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just like "The old lady who swallowed some leaves." The children think it is funny and love guessing what is going to happen next. These books are also great because there are a lot of different types, and they can be in the classroom at different times of the year. This one is good for Christmas time!

[Anthony Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book i have had in my family probably since it was published my grandmother reads it to my family before Christmas every year she thinks it so funny will make all children guess left and right to find out what will be made at the end of the book. Great read for all in the family especially the little ones.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so funny, students will love it. An old lady swallows all things related to Christmas and almost ruins Christmas. But then Santa comes to help out. This would be a great read aloud before the winter break.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids at storytime (ages 0-5) loved this. I made up little pictures of each thing the old lady swallowed and when she swallowed the item in the book, the kids could 'feed' the old lady I had made. They made me read this story 3 times

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chapter book for children around the first grade reading level. It is written in the Dr. Seuss format and tells the story of an old woman who swallows things related to Christmas. My grand-niece enjoyed it immensely when I read it to her.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It followed the pattern of these books just fine. Sometimes it was hard to keep the tune of the song with the rhyming pattern some of the words. I enjoyed the story and I think young readers would too.

[April Thompson Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just in time for Christmas

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute.

[Mary Lowry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another clever rendition of the original. Students will think this is funny and easy to remember its rhyming verses.

[Mimi.Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is really Mrs. Santa Claus??? because after she collected everything she " she whistled" it out and jumped in the sled with Mr. Claus.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This `was a cute holiday addition to the there was an old lady series. Great illustrations. My daughters favorite part was when santa comes at the end.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

weird, but cute. The kids liked it. The vomiting up of all the stuff is weird, in my opinion, but they didn't seem to mind.

[Grace DeBaltzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute take on a classic book for winter holidays.

[Sandy Lender · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the "build your memory" songs from childhood...

There's a hole in the bottom of the sea; there's a log in the hole in the bottom of the sea; there's a bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea...and so on.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly; then a spider who wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her; then a bird to eat the fly...and so on.

Now, as an adult, I grabbed this cute and clever THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A BELL specifically to add to my Christmas Reading Challenge content at my BookTube channel and it was every bit as whimsical and cute as I anticipated. And, as I expected, reminded me of those old memory songs. This old lady swallows a bunch of Christmas goodies to make a holiday scene and the illustrations are adorable. I can highly recommend this for reading to your little ones at Christmas time!

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This festive entry brings the "swallowing" mechanic into the winter holidays. The Old Lady tackles a bell, some bows, gifts, a sack, and even a sleigh. It’s one of the more musical entries in the series, as the text often mimics the "jingle" and "crinkle" of Christmas morning.

The 7-Year-Old Appeal: It captures the anticipation of the holidays. Every object she swallows is something a kid is likely seeing in their own living room or at school. The payoff—where she meets Santa and provides the "clatter" for his sleigh—makes her feel like an accidental hero of the holiday.

Why 3 Stars? The rating is strictly due to the passage of time. I don't remember if I laughed at the sleigh-swallowing or if I found it weird, but I know I finished the book. 3 stars is my way of saying "I was there, I did that," without overstating a memory I can't fully grasp anymore.