  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 06/01/2013 K-Gr 2—A mustached, eyeless cowboy swallows Texas-themed items. In the format of "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," he swallows a flea after it jumps on his knee, "Whoo-ee!," followed by a toad (horned), snake (rattlin'), mockingbird, 'dillo (armadillo), bat, boot, cactus, and bull. The cowboy grows slightly wider as the items he ingests end up inside the white space of his silhouette, cut from black paper. He thinks he will be full when he swallows that bull but ends up with a stomachache instead. The book is reminiscent of Jennifer Ward's There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea (Rising Moon, 2007). The flea and toad are difficult to distinguish based only on shape. Paper and fabric collages done in brown tones suit the desert theme, but with eyeless animals and very little in the way of eye-catching bright colors, kids will not be drawn in.—Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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