Swamp Angel (Caldecott Honor Book) [Hardcover]

Anne Isaacs (Author), Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Caldecott Honor Book

Swamp Angel, a prodigious heroine who can disarm taunting men and marauding bear alike, is the original creation of a talented new writer whose tall-tale text unfolds in a crackling combination of irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor. Caldecott Medallist Paul O. Zelinsky, working in an American primitive style on cherry and maple veneers, brings his matchless wit and whimsy to these characters of extraordinary dimension. Drawing us into the luxuriant beauty of the American wilderness, his paintings flow with rhythm, deft expression, and a sense of monumental motion that befits a heroine who can wield a tornado like a lasso and drink a lake dry. From the Great Smoky Mountains to the starry heavens above, Swamp Angel and Thundering Tarnation leave their indelible impressions on land and sky. So too will this book hold readers with its bold, expansive image-making--grandly demonstrating the flamboyant vigor and winking humor by which the tall-tale tradition endures.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On the day of her birth, nothing about Angelica Longrider suggested that she would one day become the greatest woodswoman of Tennessee. In fact, the newborn was "scarcely taller than her mother and couldn't climb a tree without help." It's not long, though, before Angelica is vanquishing varmints such as Thundering Tarnation, a huge bear with a taste for settlers' winter rations, and swallowing entire lakes in a gulp.

This tallest of tall tales is an original from an intriguing newcomer to children's books, Anne Isaacs. In the tradition of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, the story of a self-sufficient, tornado-wielding, unflappable heroine lopes along at a perfect pace. Paul O. Zelinsky's folksy oil illustrations are painted on cherry, maple, or birch veneers, with old-fashioned frames; the extravagant and fanciful paintings have garnered the distinguished illustrator yet another Caldecott Honor. (Zelinsky has already received one Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel and two Caldecott Honors for Hansel and Gretel and Rumpelstiltskin.) The dry and fantastically far-fetched humor of the author-illustrator team will make readers of all ages feel as though Angelica herself has tossed 'em in the air so high that they are still on the way up at nightfall. (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Zelinsky's (Rumpelstiltskin) stunning American-primitive oil paintings, set against an unusual background of cherry, maple and birch veneers, frankly steal the show here. Their success, however, does not diminish the accomplishment of Isaacs, whose feisty tall tale marks an impressive picture-book debut. Her energy-charged narrative introduces Angelica Longrider. "On August 1, 1815," Isaacs begins, "when [she] took her first gulp of air on this earth, there was nothing about the baby to suggest that she would become the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee. The newborn was scarcely taller than her mother and couldn't climb a tree without help.... She was a full two years old before she built her first log cabin." The story continues in this casually overstated vein, explaining how Angelica got the appellation Swamp Angel at the age of 12 after rescuing a wagon train mired in the mud. But the larger-than-life girl's reputation grows to truly gargantuan proportions when she bests an even larger bear, throwing him up in the sky, where "he crashed into a pile of stars, making a lasting impression. You can still see him there, any clear night." This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525452710
• ISBN-13: 978-0525452713
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern classic of epic proportions, May 5, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swamp Angel (Caldecott Honor Book) (Hardcover)

What fun to have a tall tale that features a woman--and such a capable woman at that! Anne Isaacs has written a yarn that seems somehow to have been in the pantheon all along--much like Howard Pyles' "Pepper and Salt" stories, "Swamp Angel" is new as far as children's stories go, but has all the elements of the classic stories and so seems older and as wonderfully distinctive as the tales that have been around for generations.

Isaacs tells us all about one red-headed, freckled young woman named Angelica Longrider. From the first, we know we are in for a wild ride when we see the picture of her rather startled-looking parents holding an enormous but contented baby--the text tells us calmly that Angelica was "scarcely taller than her mother and couldn't climb a tree without help." Things start moving at a pell-mell pace when we find out that a destructive black bear has so annoyed folks all around the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee that a reward has been offered for his hide. Angelica sets up to whup that bear and means to do the job right.

The fight between Angelica and the bear is a wondrous portion of the story, told with great good humor, a number of winks at the reader, and the astonishing illustrations of Paul O. Zelinsky. "Swamp Angel" may well be Zelinsky's masterpiece. The pictures have the flavor of early American folk art, combined to great effect with Zelinsky's usual eye for telling detail and gorgeous use of color. They fit the style of the story so well and complement the action so sufficiently that it's as though Isaacs and Zelinsky are two halves of the same person. Rarely do the visions of both author and illustrator dovetail as cleanly as they do here, and it's our great good luck as readers that Isaacs and Zelinsky found each other. Three cheers for "Swamp Angel!"

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of mythical proportions told with great humor., August 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Swamp Angel (Caldecott Honor Book) (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's not to like?, December 6, 2003

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swamp Angel (Caldecott Honor Book) (Hardcover)

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.