What reading level is the There Was an Old Lady series?

There Was an Old Lady books are at a grades 2–4 reading level (average grade level 2.6), and HootRated recommends the series for ages 5–8. There are 22 books in the series.

What order should I read the There Was an Old Lady books?

Series numbers aren't available for most There Was an Old Lady books, so HootRated lists them by publication date: There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow! (2003); There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! (2005); There Was an Old Lady (2006); There was an old lady who swallowed a chick! (2009); There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves! (2010); and 17 more.

What age is the There Was an Old Lady series appropriate for?

HootRated recommends There Was an Old Lady for ages 5–8. Content is gentle (HootRated intensity 1/5). Intensity stays consistent across the series, so a reader who can handle the first book can generally handle the rest.

There Was an Old Lady Books in Order

There Was an Old Lady is a 22-book series by Lucille Colandro for ages 5–8, at a grades 2–4 reading level, with gentle content (HootRated intensity 1/5).

Books: 22; By publication date
Reading level: Grades 2–4; Average grade level 2.6
Recommended ages: Ages 5–8; From HootRated age ratings
Content intensity: Gentle; HootRated 1/5

There Was an Old Lady Reading Order

Series numbers aren't available for most There Was an Old Lady books, so they're listed by publication date (oldest first).

#	Title	Reading Level	Ages	Content
1	There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow! 2003	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
2	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! 2005	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
3	There Was an Old Lady 2006	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
4	There was an old lady who swallowed a chick! 2009	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
5	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves! 2010	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
6	There was an old lady who swallowed a clover! 2012	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
7	There was an old lady who swallowed a rose! 2012	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
8	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books 2012	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
9	There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly! 2014	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
10	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog! 2015	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
11	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow 2018	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
12	There was an old mermaid who swallowed a shark! 2018	Level 3-4	5-8	Gentle
13	There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Map! 2018	Level 3-4	5-8	Gentle
14	There was an old astronaut who swallowed the moon! 2019	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
15	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake! 2019	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
16	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus! 2020	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
17	There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Ghost! 2020	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
18	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon 2022	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
19	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Truck 2022	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
20	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dragon! 2023	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
21	There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Worm! 2024	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle
22	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow! 2025	Level 2-3	5-8	Gentle

Content Intensity Across the Series

Consistent

Content stays at a steady intensity level throughout the series.

First book Latest book

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 a grades 2–4 reading level, with average content intensity 1/5. Intensity stays consistent across the series, so a reader who can handle the first book can generally handle the rest.

The reading-order table above lists every book with per-volume reading level, age and intensity ratings 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.

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

Level 2-3

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 Books in Order

There Was an Old Lady Reading Order

Content Intensity Across the Series

All There Was an Old Lady Books

There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat!

There Was an Old Lady

There was an old lady who swallowed a chick!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves!

There was an old lady who swallowed a clover!

There was an old lady who swallowed a rose!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow

There was an old mermaid who swallowed a shark!

There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Map!

There was an old astronaut who swallowed the moon!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus!

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Ghost!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Truck

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dragon!

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Worm!

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rainbow!

Series Like There Was an Old Lady: What to Read Next

Questions about the There Was an Old Lady series