There Was a Wee Lassie Who Swallowed a Midgie

PreS-Gr 2—"There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" now has a Scottish twist. It stars a wee lassie, pictured with red hair and her arms akimbo with her hands on her waist. She wears a blue blouse, a Scottish plaid skirt, and green waders. Over the course of the story, she manages to swallow the midgie, a trout ("that flip-flopped and swim-swam and bubbled about"), a puffin ("as if it were nothing"), a Scottie ("completely dotty"), an eagle ("it's really not legal"), a seal ("like no big deal"), a shaggy Scottish cow ("I mean—wow"), and a Nessie ("it's especially messy.") She tops all of that off by swallowing a loch ("it was massive, but och!") The loch, of course, causes every animal to be washed out, which is shown in the last double page illustration with all the creatures swimming about. Readers can follow the various animals' journeys through cross-section illustrations of the lassie's "internal plumbing system." They show the trout chasing the midgie ("all teeny and squidgy") though pipes, trap doors, etc. as all the animals move through her body. Young readers may well wonder how the little girl got a chandelier and hanging pictures in her stomach, not to mention the Scottie's bunch of colorful balloons. And though the Old Lady dies at the end of the traditional tale, the wee lassie in this book is shown happily contemplating a sandwich. Primary grade teachers will want to use this when they compare similar stories. Great fun and a good purchase for most libraries.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, formerly at Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR