PPBF: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

For Taylor

Move forward without fear. Turn obstacles into opportunities.

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick in honor of my graduate.

the Linda Williams and Megan Lloyd classic

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Written by, Linda Williams
Illustrated by Megan Lloyd

• T. Y. Crowell, 1986
• Grades K-2
• level 3.4, Lexile 710L

Themes:
Fall, Spooky


Opening:
"Once upon a time there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything."

Synopsis:
A little old lady who lives in the woods gathers nuts in the forest. She is followed home by a series of spooky articles of clothing: clomping shoes, shaking shirt, wiggling pants, etc. The clothes are determined to scare the little old lady, and the little old lady is determined to put their frightening talents to good use. A cumulative tale with rhythmic prose that will have young readers memorizing the refrain and acting out the adventure from the classic beginning to the clever twist ending.

What I Love:
I offer this review in honor of my son who graduates high school this evening. He and I shared this story hundreds of times, and acted it out in doctor's offices, grocery lines, and car rides. The ability of story to stick with us and delight through multiple readings makes The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything a Perfect Picture Book worth sharing.

My favorite part of reading this story aloud was the cumulative, catchy refrain:

But behind her she could hear
Two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP,
One pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE,
One shirt go SHAKE, SHAKE,
Two gloves go CLAP, CLAP,
One hat go NOD, NOD
and one scary pumpkin head go BOO, BOO!

Bonus:

1. Build your own scarecrow ideas from Hen & Hammock.

Luau scarecrow kit

2. Kristina made a pattern available for a nearly-life-size scarecrow on her blog, Toddler Approved!
3. Sharon Lay-Jones has a Pinterest board full of  classroom ideas for this and dozens of other picture books!
4. Here's a sweet flannelgraph pattern from Little Stars Learning.
5. Plan It Healthier has the perfect recipe for apple muffins featuring berries, nuts, and seeds, just like the little old lady gathers.
6. Kids can learn to plant their own garden with these step-by-step directions from the University of Illinois.
7. Enjoy this selection of my grad's other childhood favorites.

Guess How Much I Love You

Sheep in a Jeep

Goodnight Moon

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for June 13, 2014, available on Susanna Leonard Hill's excellent blog.