This image is the cover for the book The Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Bugs

The Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Bugs

A gross and giggle-inducing take on the classic children’s song with “sly humor and a bit of the unexpected presented with bold art” (School Library Journal).

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly . . . Young readers will love hearing about the fly and all the other creepy-crawly bugs the old lady gulps down in this fanciful feast. With a taste for slugs, the old lady enjoys a poached roach, a squirmy worm, a wiggly spider, and more during the course of the tale. And a surprise ending reveals that this isn’t just any old lady.
Accompanied by Johnette Downing’s signature colorful collage illustrations, this good and gross tale pops off the page with its fun, musical language and whimsical look at the insect food chain.

“Johnette Downing has done it again . . . Another entertaining read for young ones.” —Baton Rouge Advocate

“As an enthusiast of fractured tales and a big fan of Johnette’s songs and stories, I give Johnette’s new book a big ten thumbs up. Her funny and surprising version gives a new twist to an old favorite. It is ‘kidtastic!’” —Ann L. Davis, head of children’s services, Napa City-County Library, Napa, California

Johnette Downing

Johnette Downing is an award-winning and internationally recognized singer and songwriter. Her many accolades include eight Parents’ Choice Awards, four iParenting Media Awards, and five National Parenting Publication Awards. She wrote and/or illustrated There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Bugs, Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud, How to Dress a Po’ Boy, Why the Oyster Has the Pearl, Why the Possum Has a Large Grin, Macarooned on a Dessert Island, The Fifolet, and other Pelican titles. Downing lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Pelican Publishing