There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish

An old pirate swallows a fish, then a bird, then a map, gold, and even a whole pirate ship — a cumulative rhyme that keeps asking how big his belly can get.

For the kid who already knows every verse of the old lady and her fly, this pirate-flavored spin turns swallowing into a swashbuckling countdown.

• Big idea: Sometimes the best stories are the ones you can see coming from a mile away — and love anyway.
• Vibes: Silly, seafaring, and gleefully over-the-top.

• love rhyming and predicting what comes next
• enjoy pirate and seafaring adventures
• like to chime in on repeated lines
• respond well to silly, escalating stories

• Story recall: What was the first thing the old pirate swallowed?
• Imagination: If you were a pirate, what's the strangest thing you'd want to find on your ship?
• Prediction: What do you think will happen to the pirate's belly by the end of the book?
• Wordplay: Can you say the list of everything the pirate swallowed, in order?
• Real-life connection: Have you ever heard the song about the old lady who swallowed a fly? How is this pirate version different?