If the Shoe Fits - Hardcover

Jackson, Alison

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805064664 ISBN 13: 9780805064667

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2001

Synopsis

An original take on some favorite nursery rhymes - this is one search for a new house that's bound to be more pleasure than trouble.

There was an old woman
who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children,
she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth
without any bread,
Then took them to live
in a new home instead.

Too messy, too woolly, too noisy, too small. Whether it's Humpty Dumpty's wall or Mother Hubbard's cupboard, the old woman (who once lived in a shoe) and her children (who once lived there, too) just can't seem to find a new home big enough for their growing needs. So where will they turn for a cozy night's rest? The perfect place is only a step away -- no moving van required!

About this title

About the Author

Alison Jackson has written several books for young readers, including I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Pie. Ms. Jackson lives with her family in Orlando, Florida.

Karla Firehammer is the illustrator of The Flea's Sneeze, which School Library Journal praised as being "warmly textured . . . lively and funny." A native of Montana, Karla now lives in Lenexa, Kansas, with her three dogs, Gatsby, Cory, and Morgan.

Reviews

reS-Gr 2-In their search for new housing, the old woman who lived in a shoe and her multicultural cast of children visit many recognizable nursery rhymes. Audiences will enjoy identifying the many rhyming Mother Goose references, including a visit with Little Jack Horner, a stop on a hickory-dickory clock, and a spin in Miss Muffet's teacup. Finally, after many silly mishaps and adventures, the children land in the boot of the Grand Duke of York, and find it lacking. At this point the old woman, who "had grown much more patient and wise," declares, "`If the shoe fits, then wear it'-.And she led them right back where this story began." Although some segments are less satisfying than others as they stretch to fit the theme, Jackson's deft touch for humor carries the audience's interest through the story. Firehammer's pastel-colored, acrylic-on-illustration-board pictures are lively and funny, just the right touch for this brief jaunt through children's literature.

Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Young ones who have mastered their nursery rhymes will get a hoot out of Jackson's (I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Pie) gentle humor and the old woman who lives in a shoe (who delivers the punch line). When she decides to seek a new home for her brood, the old woman visits a succession of familiar places. Firehammer's (The Flea's Sneeze) pleasant illustrations portray the wee family escaping along Humpty Dumpty's wall, fleeing from 24 blackbirds, being squeezed out of the suit of the Grand Duke of York and frightening Little Miss Muffett in place of the spider (after her entourage settles into a warm woolen coat, the narrative reads, "When Little Jack Horner stopped in for some pie,/ She decided to give a new haven a try"). The soft-edged acrylic paintings feature a pastel palette, a cast of multicultural, doll-like children with their family dog and cat and plenty of action. Youngsters will likely embrace the chance to identify these characters and their well-known rhymes. The old woman eventually settles her huge family back into their original shoe house, and says, "If the shoe fits, then wear it," thus providing a fitting conclusion. Ages 2-7.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 2-6. "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe" begins this clever story along the lines of the Ahlbergs' Jolly Postman books. Because her shoes seem too tight, the old woman decides to look for a new place to live. She packs up her children and heads off to various locations, many of which will be familiar to children exposed to nursery rhymes. First, the family relocates to a hat worn by the cat of "cat and the fiddle" fame, then to a woolen coat worn by Little Jack Horner, and to a sock hung from a clock (though they are scared away when a "hickory-dickory mouse" scurries by). On and on they move--until they end up back in the shoe. After such a long day, the little old woman finally tucks her children in bed and ties up the laces. Firehammer's acrylic illustrations portray an exciting world through which the miniature family journeys at a brisk pace perfect for energetic toddlers and preschoolers. Kathy Broderick
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805064664
• ISBN 13: 9780805064667
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Firehammer Karla
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32