Big Men, Big Country: A Collection of American Tall Tales [Paperback]

Paul Robert Walker (Author), James Bernardin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Nine stories are featured, followed by information detailing the origins of each tale.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The rip-roarin' Davy Crockett and Pecos Bill team up with less widely known frontiersmen in this celebration of the outlandish exploits of nine American folk heroes from history and fable. Adopting the cheery informality of the oral tradition that gave rise to the genre, Walker ( Bigfoot and Other Legendary Creatures ) gives full reign to the tall tale's exaggerated qualities and regional colloquialisms. But the cumulative effect of such folksiness is monotonousness. Similarly, an author's note preceding the collection serves up simplistic generalizations that seem more patronizing than humorous ("In those days most folks believed that a woman's place was beside her husband. Of course today we know it's the other way around" explains the lack of female adventurers). Short notes follow each story, detailing the historical and cultural context of the hero and the tale. Bernardin's gouache and pencil illustrations, stylistically reminiscent of Barry Moser's work, all feature a larger-than-life he-man ready to swagger off the page. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- This collection acquaints or, in many cases, reacquaints readers with such familiar tall-tale personages as Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Pecos Bill. In addition, some new characters, John Darling of the Catskills and Ol' Gabe of Yellowstone, continue the tradition in anecdotal sketches. Told with an appropriate blend of down-home dialect and vocabulary, with descriptive locale included, these stories are replete with humor and exaggeration. The relative brevity of each of the nine stories makes the book useful for story hours or classroom read-alouds. The full-page, full-color illustrations, one per story, are satisfyingly heroic in their dimensions. These figures are a bit static in their settings, however; movement seems to have been sacrificed to size. Some smaller black-and-white drawings are sprinkled throughout; several of these provide a better sense of movement and activity. Because there have been several noteworthy collections published recently, such as San Souci's Larger Than Life (Doubleday, 1991) and Osborne's American Tall Tales (Knopf, 1991), this one may be considered useful only for libraries with extensive, heavily used folklore collections. Walker's carefully researched bibliography, citing many original sources, and his blending of several anecdotes to create slightly different story lines, invite comparison and contrast when these heroes are studied. --Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; Reprint edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152026258
• ISBN-13: 978-0152026257
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,503,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Robert Walker has written more than twenty-five books on subjects ranging from the American West and the Italian Renaissance to folklore, baseball, and miracles. His newest adult publication is The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance, the story of four great artists who forged a new art in Quattrocento Florence (William Morrow 2002; pbk 2003). Kirkus Review called the book, "A convincing account of one of the defining moments in art and history," while Library Journal judged that "using an estimable cache of documentary materials...Walker makes a fine circumstantial case for an artistic feud." Alan Prince, former travel editor of the Miami Herald, wrote enthusiastically in BookPage, "His newest work is sure to bring such sheer pleasure to people interested in history, architecture and art that many of them will regard the book itself as a work of art."

Other recent adult titles include The Southwest, which explores 11,000 years of human history amid the rugged landscapes of the American Southwest, Trail of the Wild West, a reexamination of the American frontier, and "Rivers to the Pacific," a photo-illustrated essay for Exploring the Great Rivers of North America (National Geographic 2001, 1997, & 1999).

Walker's newest books for young adult readers are three volumes in the award-winning National Geographic "Remember" series, which documents key events in American history through eyewitness accounts and archival images. Walker's contributions to the series include Remember Little Rock (2009), Remember the Alamo (2007), and Remember Little Bighorn (2006). Remember Little Rock and Remember Little Bighorn both received coveted starred reviews in School Library Journal, while Remember the Alamo received the 2007 June Franklin Naylor Award from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for the best book for children and young adults on Texas history. Walker's middle-grade and young adult books also have been honored by the American Library Association, the National Council for the Social Studies, the Children's Book Council, the American Folklore Society, and Storytelling World.

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Walker studied acting at Boston University School of Fine Arts and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in Anglo-American literature from Occidental College. He is a member of the Authors Guild, American Mensa, and the NAACP. A former teacher, journalist, and rock musician, Walker lives in Escondido, California.

Contact:
e-mail: [e-mail]
website: www.prwbooks.com