Davy Crockett Saves the World [Hardcover]

Rosalyn Schanzer (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

What will happen when the great Davy Crockett comes head to head with Halley's Comet?

It's the
biggest
fiercest
ball of fire ire
that EVER lit
up the heavens!

(And why does Davy Crockett
wear a coonskin cap anyway?)

Rosalyn Schanzer peppers her telling with flavorful exaggerations, flamboyantly regaling readers with a larger-than-life drama played out in pictures bursting with color, humor, action, and detail.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this two-million-mile tall tale (praised to the skies by National Public Radio commentator and children's book author Daniel Pinkwater), famed American frontiersman Davy Crockett saves the planet, is elected to Congress, and gets the girl and a coonskin cap. Rosalyn Schanzer's outrageous story was inspired by a series of 19th-century comic almanacs about Crockett, source of wildly embellished legend: "Why, Davy could whip ten times his weight in wildcats and drink the Mississippi River dry." Here, Davy Crockett is called upon by the president to wring the tail off Halley's comet--"the biggest, baddest ball of fire and ice and brimstone ever to light up the heavens"--which is hurling itself toward America. One look at Davy, with his chiseled face and gigantic muscles bursting out of his buckskins, and the reader will know the comet hasn't got a chance. Schanzer, whose love of American history is also revealed in How We Crossed the West and Gold Fever!, has a mighty grip on the folksy language and rhythm of the tall tale. After all, "every single word is true, unless it is false." (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Schanzer (Gold Fever!) raids the annals of American history once again, emerging with a feisty tall tale inspired by the Davy Crockett almanacs published in the 19th century. Assuring readers that "every single word is true, unless it is false," she spins a rollicking yarn of how Crockett (who could "whip ten times his weight in wildcats and drink the Mississippi River dry") saves the world from a disastrous collision with Halley's Comet. Deep in the woods with his pet bear, Death Hug, Crockett is bent on wooing "purty" Sally Sugartree, unaware that the president has advertised for his help to reign in the comet. Once Crockett finds out he's needed, he's off "like a high-powered hurrycane," climbing to the top of a high mountain and leaping onto the comet. In the end, a triumphant Crockett gets both the girl and his coonskin cap (to cover what's left of his comet-singed hair). Schanzer's lickety-split pace and picaresque prose are equal parts swagger and sass, and her vibrant, color-drenched paintings extend the spirited tone. Careful attention to comic detail and visual echoes of the genre's hallmark exaggeration (Crockett, for instance, has the chiseled-jaw and popping muscles of a Disney hero) frame this zesty slice of Americana admirably. Ages 6-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688169910
• ISBN-13: 978-0688169916
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Tale, March 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Davy Crockett Saves the World (Hardcover)

I awoke last Saturday to hear Daniel Pinkwater reviewing this book on NPR. He said, "[the author] has made funny and accessible cartoons which are at the same time beautiful, or you could say she's made beautiful paintings which are funny." I completely agree with this statement and I think that the illustrations will help capture the attention of even the most reluctant young reader...Who will then be fascinated by this creative and totally entertaining interpretation of the life of Crockett. Perfect for classroom reading and a delight for bedtime, for all ages.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun-Filled, Captivating Tall Tale....., May 21, 2003

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Davy Crockett Saves the World (Hardcover)

"I reckon by now you've heard of Davy Crockett, the greatest woodsman who ever lived. Why, Davy could whip ten times his weight in wildcats and drink the Mississippi River dry. He combed his hair with a rake, shaved his beard with an ax, and could run so fast that, whenever he went out, the trees had to step aside to keep from getting knocked down..." So who else, but Davy, would the president call on to save the planet from being "blown to smithereens" when "the biggest, baddest ball of fire and ice and brimstone," Halley's Comet, came "hurling itself lickety-split" towards earth? Rosalyn Schanzer answers the question with her witty and entertaining, wild and rollicking tall, tall tale about this larger than life frontiersman. Ms Schanzer's vibrant storytelling captures the imagination with its rich, over-the-top exaggeration and clever backwoods language that just begs to be read aloud and shared. Her bold, bright, and expressive artwork is filled with dazzling, action packed scenes, eye-catching detail, and marvelous humor. Perfect for youngsters of all ages, Davy Crockett Saves The World is a captivating, fun-filled treasure that shouldn't be missed, and also finally tells the world why old Davy always wore his coonskin cap.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Saves Grandmother During Night of Babysitting Grandsons, March 9, 2002

By 

Ellen C. Appel (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Davy Crockett Saves the World (Hardcover)

Davy Crocket Saves the World saved this grandmother last night while I was babysitting my grandsons. Barely interrupting a food fight after supper, I coaxed the boys onto the couch with me by telling them I would read them the new book I just brought. We all plopped on the couch in a snuggly pile as I opened the book and started to read. Their faces soon wore expressions of rapt attention interrupted frequently with smiles of delight and animated discussion.

The boys loved Davy...and he is great! His face is the face of a hero personified. His expressions are so animated and appealing to my grandsons (and me too)! The graphics of the pages are filled with movement which captured my grandsons' attention and saved this grandmother from an evening of total chaos. Hooray for Davy Crockett!