The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything by Linda Williams
Illustrated by Megan Lloyd
1986

      "Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything!"  This is one of my favorite read alouds to do around Halloween.  A little old lady walks into the forest looking for herbs and spices.  It gets dark and when she's making her way back to her cottage, a pair of shoes are going "CLOMP, CLOMP" right in the middle of the path.  She tells them "get out of my way, you two big shoes! I'm not afraid of you."  And walks down the path. The story continues following this pattern of events, running into pants, a shirt, gloves, hat and finally a pumpkin head.  Each of them makes its own distinct onomatopeic sound.  As the story progresses and the old lady keeps going, the list of clothing items that gets in her way builds up, repeating each sound over and over.  She never gets scared and at the end gives the pumpkin and the clothes a new goal in life, scaring crows instead of old ladies.
        The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything is perfect for a read aloud because the repetition of the pattern and the special effect sounds will have young readers making the noises and acting them out.  The illustrations by Williams are a perfect match.  I can't wait to read it in class tomorrow.