Title: Swamp Angel
Author: Isaacs, Anne
Illustrator: Zelinsky, Paul. O
Publication and Date: Puffin Books, 1994
Genre: Picture Book, Traditional Tale
Age Range: K-3rd
1995 Caldecott Honor Book
Summary:
This is the tale of Angelica Longrider, or as some might call her "Swamp Angel." She was born as tall as her mother and could build her own log cabin at the age of two. This is no ordinary Tennessee native. She was kind and brave. She roamed around the mountains of Tennessee helping others. She pulled a whole wagon train of prospective settlers out of a swamp earning herself the nickname "Swamp Angel." One of her most remembered feats deals with a huge bear nicknamed "Thundering Tarnation." Angelica entered a competition alongside the men to try to kill the pesky bear that was eating all their winter rations. As the story progresses you see that the bear has licked one man clean, made another bald, and surrounded a third with toothpicks. Angelica is the last to try her hand at the bear. They fight and wrestle over lakes and mountains and finally Angelica kills the bear quite by accident (with her snoring). Everyone in Tennessee was fed with plenty of leftovers for the winter all thanks to Angelica!
Response:
I really enjoyed this tall tale! I was so excited that it was set in the south and encompassed the Southern dialect! I loved the phrases "thundering tarnation" and "confound it!" I think that the southern dialect adds so much character to the story. The most spectacular parts of the book are the illustrations. Each illustration is painted in oil on cherry, birch, and maple veneers. These illustrations were amazing to look at! One of my favorite pictures in the book is when Angelica is sitting in the middle of the dried up lake with the huge bear holding her down and the poor man sitting in a fishing boat. The looks on all their faces made me laugh out loud! I love way Angelica was depicted in every picture. Everything looked so miniature next to her, almost like the cabins and settlers were her playthings. The colors used were all so vibrant and rich; I really felt like I was in the middle of the beautiful Tennessee Mountains. The tales of how the smoky mountains were made, how the short grass prairie in Montana came into being, and how the big bear constellation was formed in the sky are all great examples of early myths about creation. These tales were all so entertaining!
Teaching Ideas:
This would be fantastic book to read as an example of a tall tale. It is an entertaining book for all ages. Storytelling, creation myths, early settlement, and pioneer life would all be great things to tie in with this book. I think it would also be a neat idea to have students come up with their own tall tale to explain some phenomenon in North Carolina or they could research another tall tale to share with the class. There are so many fun things to do with these tall tales that the sky's the limit! Enjoy
Author: Isaacs, Anne
Illustrator: Zelinsky, Paul. O
Publication and Date: Puffin Books, 1994
Genre: Picture Book, Traditional Tale
Age Range: K-3rd
1995 Caldecott Honor Book
Summary:
This is the tale of Angelica Longrider, or as some might call her "Swamp Angel." She was born as tall as her mother and could build her own log cabin at the age of two. This is no ordinary Tennessee native. She was kind and brave. She roamed around the mountains of Tennessee helping others. She pulled a whole wagon train of prospective settlers out of a swamp earning herself the nickname "Swamp Angel." One of her most remembered feats deals with a huge bear nicknamed "Thundering Tarnation." Angelica entered a competition alongside the men to try to kill the pesky bear that was eating all their winter rations. As the story progresses you see that the bear has licked one man clean, made another bald, and surrounded a third with toothpicks. Angelica is the last to try her hand at the bear. They fight and wrestle over lakes and mountains and finally Angelica kills the bear quite by accident (with her snoring). Everyone in Tennessee was fed with plenty of leftovers for the winter all thanks to Angelica!
Response:
I really enjoyed this tall tale! I was so excited that it was set in the south and encompassed the Southern dialect! I loved the phrases "thundering tarnation" and "confound it!" I think that the southern dialect adds so much character to the story. The most spectacular parts of the book are the illustrations. Each illustration is painted in oil on cherry, birch, and maple veneers. These illustrations were amazing to look at! One of my favorite pictures in the book is when Angelica is sitting in the middle of the dried up lake with the huge bear holding her down and the poor man sitting in a fishing boat. The looks on all their faces made me laugh out loud! I love way Angelica was depicted in every picture. Everything looked so miniature next to her, almost like the cabins and settlers were her playthings. The colors used were all so vibrant and rich; I really felt like I was in the middle of the beautiful Tennessee Mountains. The tales of how the smoky mountains were made, how the short grass prairie in Montana came into being, and how the big bear constellation was formed in the sky are all great examples of early myths about creation. These tales were all so entertaining!
Teaching Ideas:
This would be fantastic book to read as an example of a tall tale. It is an entertaining book for all ages. Storytelling, creation myths, early settlement, and pioneer life would all be great things to tie in with this book. I think it would also be a neat idea to have students come up with their own tall tale to explain some phenomenon in North Carolina or they could research another tall tale to share with the class. There are so many fun things to do with these tall tales that the sky's the limit! Enjoy
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