I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello

by Barbara S. Garriel, John O'Brien (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for any young reader interested in music, families who love music, and a must-have staple for music classrooms, this funny picture book is an amusing introduction to the instruments in an orchestra, featuring clever rhymes and whimsical illustrations.
 
Meet a shy fellow! He’s hard to notice, but he’s right at the side of the room listening to a duet for cello and viola. But look again — our shy fellow suddenly has an urge to swallow a HUGE cello, which is precisely what he does. And he doesn't stop there! He also swallows a harp, a saxophone, and a fiddle while trying to satisfy his voracious appetite for musical instruments. But when he swallows a teensy, tiny, little bitty bell, you won’t believe what happens! In this take-off on a classic children’s song, kids will laugh out loud and learn all about musical instruments with this story that’s a melodious mix of fun and frivolity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590789469
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,058,455
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Barbara S. Garriel has written songs and published 14 nonfiction and fiction books for elementary and middle school readers, and resource manuals for teachers. Using her background as an educator and her gift for storytelling, she inspires students to share her enthusiasm for language, music, and nature. Barbara earned a bachelor's degree from Fairfield University and a master's degree from Teachers College of Columbia University.

John O'Brien has illustrated more than ninety books. His cartoons appear in the New Yorker and other publications. He is the only banjo- and concertina-playing children's book illustrator who is also senior lieutenant in the North Wildwood, New Jersey, Beach Patrol. He lives in Delran, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

He's shy, a wallflower. He's the man at the side of the room listening to a duet for cello and viola. Even now you wouldn't notice him. But our shy fellow suddenly has an urge to swallow a cello, which is precisely what he does. And he doesn't stop there. He follows it with a harp, a sax, and a fiddle. On and on he goes, trying to satisfy his voracious appetite for musical instruments. A strange diet, you say? It's the perfect diet for a strange fellow, a strange, shy fellow. Barbara S. Garriel's wacky take off on the old woman who swallowed a fly is the perfect match for John O'Brien's fertile and funny imagination.

Editorial Reviews

Instead of an old woman who swallows a fly, this droll cumulative tale introduces a shy fellow who swallows a cello. "I don't know why he swallowed the cello," says the narrator, "Perhaps he'll bellow." The tall, mouse-like protagonist swallows "a harp to jam with the cello," a sax to join the harp, and so on, until he eventually burps up not only the cello, but also the other instruments one by one. Like Terry Gilliam's Monty Python animation, O'Brien's (Poof!) pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor wash are delightfully outr and full of sly humor. The mischievous fellow resembles a scrawny Ichabod Crane, and as he grows larger, his spindly body matches the shape of each musical instrument he ingests (cutaway views show the accumulating orchestra). O'Brien also injects some amusing subplots: the harp that the man swallows belongs to an Irish dancing troupe, and he takes a cymbal from a marching band performing during halftime on the football field. The six spreads that each feature the regurgitation of an instrument make the last bellow of the cello seem almost anticlimactic. First-time author Garriel's text brims with clever rhymes and at times irregular rhythms. "Not so nimble," says the unseen narrator, "to swallow a cymbal.... Strange thing to do, swallow a kazoo." But the good-natured fun will appeal to music lovers and fans of silly stories. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-This goofy adaptation of "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" begins, "I know a shy fellow-/-who swallowed a cello./I don't know why he swallowed a cello./Perhaps he'll bellow." The instruments the man guzzles come from a wide variety of venues, including a sax from a jazz ensemble, a fiddle from a rockabilly band, and a kazoo from a child's birthday party. When he imbibes "the teeniest, tiniest, petite cascabel," his belly finally rebels and out of his mouth "jingled the bell," "buzzed the kazoo," "tooted the flute," etc., until "-last but not least,/out cha-chaed the cello!" This is a high-spirited and amusing story, and most of the rhythms work well. O'Brien's dynamic cartoons, highlighted with energetic pen-and-ink lines, vibrate with color and action. The main character continually changes shape to reflect the proportions of each instrument he consumes, and his antics are a good match for this silly but enjoyable romp.-Shelley B. Sutherland, Niles Public Library District, IL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Surreal illustrations add disturbing and enjoyable vigor to this adaptation of "I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly." The shy fellow is listening to a string duet when, much to the consternation of the cellist, he swallows the cello-"perhaps he'll bellow." This strange gentleman, now shaped like the cello he has swallowed, follows up with the harp from an Irish dance troupe, the saxophone from a jazz band, a cowboy's fiddle, a marching band's cymbal, the flute from a revolutionary war piper, and a birthday party's kazoo. With each addition to his strange meal, the shy fellow becomes more and more strangely shaped. At last he swallows the bell off a passing cat's collar-one snack too many!-and the resulting explosion returns the instruments to the musicians in a delightfully vibrant musical blast. The dynamic line of the illustrations, full of swoops and squiggles, provides excellent accompaniment to this silly reworking of a familiar rhyme. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews