This new take on the classic rhyme is dark and creepy just like it should be. The book, designed and illustrated by Jeremy Holmes, has a very clever format. The whole book is the old lady, fitting into the long rectangle nicely. Her mid-section, where her stomach exists, is the book part. So when flipping the pages you feel like you are looking inside her stomach to see what’s she’s eaten: a fly explorer, a nerdy spider, and so on and so forth. Jeremy’s digital character illustrations have so much personality. The last page is a big surprise: “There was an old lady who swallowed a horse. She died, of course.” The old lady’s eyes close as you turn the page. I can just imagine the squeals from kids as they flip this page and she her eyelids shut. Get a copy of this book here. Thanks Jeremy!

© Julia Rothman 2007