There Was an Old Witch

by Howard W. Reeves, David Catrow

In this cumulative verse, an old witch collects a bat, a scratching scritching cat, a howling yowling creature, and other creepy crawly things to adorn her Halloween hat

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor

24 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1998

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There was an old witch who wanted a bat," begins this Halloween variant of the classic children's song, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, following the eponymous witch as she captures or creates a parade of successively larger creatures, in the pursuit of her pteropine prey. And why, exactly, does she want this bat...? Well, to learn that, the reader must finish the rhyme!

Although I wouldn't say that There Was an Old Witch was a personal favorite, when it comes to the slew of Halloween books I've been reading of late, I believe that young readers will enjoy its combination of zany text and humorously spooky illustrations. David Catrow, whose illustrations I first encountered in Kathryn Lasky's She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! , creates one amusing scene after another here, making this a book his fans will want to peruse!

[JadeShea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, rhyming story that brings Halloween to life for students while listening to this story. The Witch is funny, and what she does is interesting to the students. It is chaotic, and suspenseful at times. This is something I would love to read during Halloween time. I could use it to discuss the holiday and rhyming aspects as well. This would be fun for the students and keep them engaged.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations but there's not alot of depth in the rhyme. Great picture book for Halloween.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a repetitious rhyming text, much like the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly rhythmic poems. This would fun with younger audiences around Halloween time.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Told in the traditional “I know an old woman” this story was a bunch of fun. Plus I love that the old witch does not die inthe end. Then top everything off with great, funny, and wonderful illustrations by Catrow, and man this story is awesome.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A take off on There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, There Was an Old Witch is told in rhyme scheme. The first page reads "There was an old woman who wanted a bat, I know why she wanted a bat, but I won't tell you that." So absolutely fun, made more so by David Catrow's whimsical pictures of a grimacing witch, hanging bat, snarling cat, and one-eyed creature. This is perfect fare for Halloween, but it's just perfect for any time you want to have some fun.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining parody of the "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" song. I liked the rhymes because they were amusing and fitted in with the halloween feeling of the story. I wasn't completely enthralled with this book though, so I'd only recommend if you were a big halloween fan.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2010...

[Jennybug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the pictures. There is a lot to look at. This book rhymes and is a great read for young children.

Sawyer just read this book to me and he wanted to give it 5 stars. We had fun finding the bat on each page. This book reminded him of the "Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly". The pictures are great. Sept 24, 2014

[David Bril]

This is a truly bizzare take on the Old Lady. This time it's a witch, but she doesn't actually swallow anything, she just captures things. The animation is very detailed and colourful, but hard for children to pin point certain things. The story is odd and really has no purpose when you get to the end. Probably one of the worst of the Old Lady books.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this is a twist of the old nursery rhyme "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". The artwork of this book is creepy enough for the Halloween holiday. I do feel, however, that the artwork might be a little scary for really young children between the ages of two and three.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun play on "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" theme for Halloween. Great illustration that aren't too scary for young children punctuate this rythmic rhyme with a humorous ending.

[Ham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would've enjoyed this more if I'd had the Swallowed A Fly tune memorized. As it was I just laughed at the pictures. Incredible art!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The text is absolutely delightful to read. The pictures are less delightful. In fact, they are hard to look at. 5 stars for the text, 0 for the illustrations.

[Rebekah Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book had great illustrations. I loved the style of art. The story was funny and silly at the same time. I liked how one thing led to another.

[April Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful rhyming story. Each page adds on to the next one. It is a spin off of there was an old lady who swallowed a fly. I think kids would enjoy having this read to them.

[Juliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on a song of course. The artwork is definitely unique and bizarre. Very fitting for the Halloween feel of course. Clever how they got the rhyme scheme going, but pretty silly.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another catchy rhyme with perfectly creepy pictures by Caltrow