There Was an Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider - by Jennifer Ward (Hardcover)

About the Book

"As the old mummy makes his way across the graveyard and through the haunted castle, he swallows all kinds of creepy things. From a rat to witch's brew, and a crow to a spooky ghost, this mummy keeps swallowing and swallowing...until finally there's a knock on the door. Trick or treat! Jennifer Ward's fun text and Steve Gray's zany artwork add a spooky Halloween twist to this adaptation of the popular song"--Jacket.

Book Synopsis

From the creators of the bestselling There Was an Old Monkey Who Swallowed a Frog comes a spooky rendition of the popular "Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" song.

As the old mummy makes his way across a graveyard and through a haunted castle, he swallows all kinds of creepy things. From a rat to witches' brew, and a crow to a spooky ghost, this mummy keeps swallowing and swallowing...until finally there's a knock on the door. Trick or treat! Jennifer Ward's fun text and Steve Gray's zany artwork add a spooky Halloween twist to this adaptation of the popular song.

Review Quotes

"This book has something for everyone and is sure to be a hit in any children's collection." --School Library Journal

"In [There Was an Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider], a bulgy-eyed mummy rises from its sarcophagus and proceeds to swallow a string of objects, animals, and people, including a spider, crow, bone, and witch. In increasingly frenetic cartoons, [Steve] Gray stages the debacle on the grounds of a quintessential haunted house, precariously perched in a tree over a graveyard. Full-spread scenes of the mummy chasing his victims alternate with glimpses of what's going on in his belly--the swallowed creatures appear to be having a reasonably good time, simmering green witch's brew over a campfire--which should make for some enjoyably silly Halloween reading." --Publishers Weekly

"Ward and Gray exchange the little old lady for an old mummy, and the book gets pleasantly goofy from there...For preschoolers who want a Halloween book that is more silly than scary." --Kirkus Reviews

"Cartoonish digital illustrations use lots of wide, fearful eyes and luminous backgrounds to make the graveyard and haunted-castle settings glow with Halloween anticipation." --Horn Book Magazine