Swamp Angel (Caldecott Honor Book)

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful tale, beautiful illustrations.
Review: "Swamp Angel" by Anne Isaacs is adorable. It is written in the tradition of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox, only featuring Swamp Angel and Thundering Tarnation, the Bear, who are not exactly best friends, as she feeds him to every citizen in Tennessee. However, it is appropriate for grade-school children, and the illustrations are wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: What's not to like?
Review: A truly enjoyable folktale. With Paul Zelinsky's inventive and endlessly amusing illustrations, the book tells as well as it views. With sentences like, "Varmint, I'm much obliged for that pelt you're carryin'", Swamp Angel's showdown with the bear Thundering Tarnation is of epic proportions. Zelinsky has truly outdone himself in his portrayals of their fight. There are thousands of tiny illustrations hidden on each page for kids to discover and delight in. The fight itself is about good old-fashioned wrassling, and it's a joy to watch. Zelinsky painted his illustrations on actual wood veneer, hoping to give the book a folk-art feel of some sort. The result is a beautiful story that adults and kids will both enjoy. As I might have given away, I'm a fan. book could easily be paired with another tall tales, possibly that of the other gigantic hero Paul Bunyun or the great John Henry. Both would fit in well with this story, though Swamp Angel owes perhaps most of her telling to Pecos Bill more than anyone else.

Rating:
Summary: Tall, tall story! Great fun!
Review: Excellent book for a young reader. Very much in the tradition of Paul-Bunyan-style tall tales. The hero this time is a heroine, nicknamed Swamp Angel, with the strength to rid early-days Tennessee of a giant bear called Thundering Tarnation. Like the best tall tales, this one is full of wonderfully humorous exaggerations, all wonderfully illustrated on every page. Delightful and entertaining book for both boys and girls.

Rating:
Summary: A story of mythical proportions told with great humor.
Review: Swamp Angel is charming and hilarious. Words and pictures blend together to tell a wonderful tall tale of mythical proportions. It demands to be read out loud, preferably to a group of children or family and friends, with as much of an exaggerated hillbilly twang as the narrator can muster. Angelica Longrider, aka Swamp Angel, is reminiscent of Paul Bunyon in size and accomplishments, but is also feminine and feminist, making her a suitable heroine for impressionable young girls. Swamp Angel's conquest of the fierce, marauding giant bear, Thundering Tarnation, strikes one as a metaphor for the conquest of the wilderness by the pioneers of America. At the height of her conquest of the bear, Angelica praises its strength and tenacity. Above all, this book is a hoot to read, beautifully illustrated, and heralds an exciting new author on the childrens' book scene.