Swamp Angel

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Isaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1994. Print.

ISBN 0525452710

2. PLOT SUMMARY

When little ol’ Angelica Longrider was born there was little to suggest that this baby girl would grow up to be one of Tennessee’s toughest bear wranglers and best woodswoman. After all, she was barely taller than her mother when she was born and didn’t even build her first log cabin until she was two years old. However, this swamp angel grew up to become quite the settler saving, Thundering Tarnation tracking, brave backwoods bear-skinner. And friends, every one of those stories are true.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This tall tale is chalk full of humor which makes it quite the enjoyable read. Isaacs’ writing is entertaining and playful. She does a great job of incorporating the elements of a tall tale effortlessly into a whimsical story that kids of all ages will enjoy reading and re-telling. She also adds several references that create great talking points throughout the story. While this story is great to read alone, it Isaacs writing in Swamp Angel was made to read aloud.

Zelinsky’s Caldecott Award winning illustrations are so detailed that they could tell the story on their own. Every inch of the artwork is telling a story that the text may not have told. He uses color brilliantly and creates a rich atmosphere for the story using different types of wood as his medium. Because of his elaborate artwork, this tale will continue to be fresh because every time it is read, the reader will notice something new.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

A Caldecott Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Time magazine Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

"This delightful production deserves a place in all tall tale collections."- School Library Journal

"A perfect introduction to folk tales and storytelling." -Booklist

5. CONNECTIONS

Social Studies teachers will love this book for its references to topics like settlers moving west, the Smoky Mountains, the Shortgrass prairie, and Ursa Major (or the Great Bear). In addition to this being a fun book for Social Studies, it also would be a great book to use as an example of Tall Tales in an ELAR book. It’s a great example book because of the variety of events and places it gives explanations for. Swamp Angel shows that tall tales can include many events, not just one.