I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello

April 19, 2004
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 outré 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.