There Was an Old Lady Books in Order
22 books by Lucille Colandro. Reading level: Grades 2.1–3.8. Lower Grades (Ages 5–8).
Series books grow with readers — but that's also the trap. Most series start at one reading level and one content intensity and drift upward over the course of the run. There Was an Old Lady (22 books by Lucille Colandro) lands at reading level Grades 2.1–3.8, with average content intensity 1/5. Intensity stays consistent across the series — a kid who can handle the first book can generally handle the rest.
The reading-order table below lists every book with per-volume reading level and intensity badges so you can spot any escalation before it catches your reader off guard. For a deeper dive into how we score text difficulty vs. emotional weight separately — and why series readers especially benefit from that split — see our methodology page.
Content Intensity Across the Series
ConsistentContent stays at a steady intensity level throughout the series.
There Was an Old Lady Reading Order
| # | Title | Reading Level | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 2 | There was an old astronaut who swallowed the moon! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 3 | There Was an Old Lady Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 4 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 5 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 6 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 7 | There was an old lady who swallowed a chick! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 8 | There was an old lady who swallowed a clover! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 9 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 10 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dragon! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 11 | There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 12 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 13 | There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Ghost! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 14 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 15 | There was an old lady who swallowed a rose! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 16 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 17 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Truck Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 18 | There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Worm! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 19 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books Lucille Colandro, Jared D. Lee | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 20 | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves! Lucille Colandro | Level 2-3 | Gentle |
| 21 | There was an old mermaid who swallowed a shark! Lucille Colandro | Level 3-4 | Gentle |
| 22 | There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Map! Lucille Colandro | Level 3-4 | Gentle |
All There Was an Old Lady Books
There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow!
Lucille Colandro
There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old astronaut who swallowed the moon!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old astronaut who swallowed the moon!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old lady who swallowed a chick!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old lady who swallowed a chick!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old lady who swallowed a clover!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old lady who swallowed a clover!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dragon!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dragon!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Ghost!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Ghost!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old lady who swallowed a rose!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old lady who swallowed a rose!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Truck
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Truck
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Worm!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Worm!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books
Lucille Colandro, Jared D. Lee
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books
Lucille Colandro, Jared D. Lee
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves!
Lucille Colandro
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old mermaid who swallowed a shark!
Lucille Colandro
There was an old mermaid who swallowed a shark!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Map!
Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Map!
Lucille Colandro
Questions about the There Was an Old Lady series
- What reading level is the There Was an Old Lady series?
- The There Was an Old Lady series by Lucille Colandro is at a Grades 2.1–3.8 reading level (average Grade 2.6). Intended for Lower Grades (Ages 5–8). There are 22 books in the series.
- What order should I read the There Was an Old Lady books?
- The reading-order table above lists all 22 books with per-volume reading level and intensity ratings. Start with book 1 and read in publication order unless the table indicates a different recommended order for newer readers.
- What age is the There Was an Old Lady series appropriate for?
- The There Was an Old Lady series is recommended for Lower Grades (Ages 5–8). The average content intensity is 1/5. Check the intensity trajectory above to see whether content gets heavier across the series — if it does, sensitive readers may want to stop earlier in the run.