There Was an Old Sailor

PreS-Gr 1—This gorgeously illustrated tale is based on the song/story, "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," but it's about an old sailor who swallows common creatures from the deep, such as krill, a ray, a "jelly," a shark, a seal, and more, culminating with a whale. The lines of the story are predictable for children familiar with the song, but what makes this book stand out is the art. Allen has used gouache and pencils to create marvelous, colorful, page-filling depictions of the ocean creatures the sailor consumes, but more eye-catching is the sailor himself. His bushy beard and eyebrows, ruddy cheeks, expressive eyes, large arms, striped shirt, and sailor's cap all combine to make a most charming-looking sailor. The book concludes with a spread showing each of the ocean creatures swimming along, flanked by a brief fact about each one, e.g., "Krill are tiny critters. Five krill weigh about the same as one teaspoon of sugar!" This title is a worthy addition to any collection of variants of the original, but, more importantly, it might inspire children to come up with their own version of this tale after seeing what Saxby has created.—Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID