Swamp Angel

Anne Isaacs sets out to expand the American Tall-Tale pantheon with Swamp Angel, a Caldecott Honor Book from 1995, producing a humorous and engaging story in the process. With a decidedly tongue-in-cheek tone - when Angelica Longrider was born, the narrator assures us, there was nothing to indicate her future greatness, although she was (as a newborn) "scarcely taller than her mother and couldn't climb a tree without help" - and plenty of narrative excitement, this is a book sure to grab the young reader's attention! The accompanying illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky, whose Rapunzel was a Caldecott Medal winner, are vivid and appealing, painted in oil on wooden backgrounds.

I know that some didn't care for this one, finding it too much show more of a rough-and-tumble kind of story, particularly as Swamp Angel's central adventure involved a protracted struggle with an unruly bear named Thundering Tarnation, but I thought that Isaacs did a marvelous job of capturing the feeling and tone of some of the original stories in the genre. Often, in projects such as these, when an author sets out to create an addition to a well-known (and loved) body of work, the result is glaringly anachronistic, but I could readily imagine Swamp Angel hobnobbing with the likes of Paul Bunyan or Daniel Boone. That's no small achievement, and together with the artwork, lifted this from three stars to four, in my book. Definitely one I recommend to readers who enjoy the Tall-Tale genre! show less

This unique and genre-bending take on a tall-tale is one of my new favorite children's books! Swamp Angel is the story of Angelica Longrider, a true giant of a woman born into a rural family in the heart of Paul Bunyan-era Tennessee. The story focuses on the fantastical feats of strength and power that this literal giant woman can do, and her oddity is more in the fact that she bends gender stereotypes of not baking pies than in the normalized account of her birth ("the newborn was scarcely taller than her mother and couldn't climb a tree without help"). Throughout the book the illustrator uses a variety of artistic techniques similiar to the landscape paintings of the late 18th century American prairie, and all are vivid and realistic. show more Angelica is a powerful female character in a story that is fantastical and whimsical but utterly believable due to it being sheer fun to read! show less

Paul O. Zelinsky's name on the cover of Swamp Angel caught my eye as he became a favorite illustrator of mine after I read [b:Rumpelstiltskin|280240|Rumpelstiltskin|Paul O. Zelinsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388253409l/280240._SX50_.jpg|271837]. Unfortunately, not only is this modern fairy tale strange, Zelinsky's artwork isn't his best. Zelinsky's signature is use of oil paint. His illustrations can be realistic and finely detailed (best seen in characters' faces), a challenge with this particular medium. I was expecting gorgeous artwork in Swamp Angel , but although the illustrations are well done, they don't do justice to his talent. This book's ugly color palette, heavy on yellows and show more browns, also detracts.

Swamp Angel, an invention from Anne Isaacs, is a straightforward tale about a giant determined to win a competition to kill a menacing bear. The prize is the bear's enormous pelt, with a side prize of a generous amount of bear meat. When I think "fairy tale," I think of unusual or unique magic, fantasy, or magical realism. Fairy tales are special because of their creativity and because of the transportive images they conjure. Swamp Angel is merely a wrestling battle between Swamp Angel and the bear. That sounds exciting, but it's not, and there's no magic or wonder in it despite the presence of a tornado and giant. A wrestling battle is an uninspired, boring battle. Additionally, with its use of slang and colloquialisms (e.g., "varmint," "grub," "licked" [meaning "beat"], and "tarnation"), this book is inaccessible to children reading without an adult who could offer definitions.

The only inventive elements are in the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains (the result of dust kicked up during the match) and of Montana's Shortgrass Prairie (it's the pelt spread as a rug over the land). Otherwise this isn't a fairy tale but a half-baked story of barbarism that villainizes a majestic creature. Zelinsky's artistic talent is wasted, and Isaacs hasn't inspired me to seek out more of her work. show less

"Well, how about baking a pie, Angel?
"I aim to," says she. "A bear pie."

When Angelica Longrider was born, there was little to suggest that she would become the greatest woods-woman in Tennessee, single-handedly saving settlers from the jaws of a fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation. The newborn was scarcely taller than her mother and couldn't climb a tree without help.

Swamp Angel, this 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 Honor artist Paul O. Zelinsky, working in an American primitive style on cherry and maple veneers, brings his show more 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 Tarnation leave their indelible impressions on land and sky. So too will this book hold readers with its bold, expansive image-making-an image-making that grandly demonstrates the flamboyant vigor and winking humor by which the tall-tale tradition endures. show less

Anne Isaacs retells the Swamp Angel tall tale, featuring a female Tennessee woodswoman who is larger than life. She was as tall as her mother when she was born, and built her own log cabin at age two. The story begins with a few simple anecdotes establishing her mighty skills and huge size, but the majority of the book focuses on her fight with Thundering Tarnation, an hornery bear as large and powerful as Swamp Angel. Their epic scuffle takes days, and rolls all around most of the state of Tennessee, before Swamp Angel claims the victory. Her opponent is so valorous that she actually is saddened at his death. As is the custom in the tall tale genre, the stories associated with Swamp Angel are asserted to be entirely true, even when the show more opposite is obvious, and they involve many creation stories. For instance, she drags the bear's pelt to her new home in Montana, creating the Shortgrass Prairie. Or the Great Smoky Mountains obtaining their name from the vast amounts of dust that arose from the fight between Swamp Angel and the bear.

The author uses a voice that is perfect for the story. She embraces alliteration and hyperbole, and uses diction that evokes a homey feel, appropriate to tall tales and the frontier setting of the story. Also, the story is focused by dramatization of the fight between Swamp Angel and Tarnation; instead of sprawling out with multiple anecdotes such as one would find in an anthology of tall tales, this picture book is a story with a plot and resolution, which is more appealing for younger readers. The illustrations - drawn by amazing artist Zelinsky who specializes in fairy tales and tall tales - are gorgeous, and fully complement the style of the writing and the subject of the tale. The book specifies that they are oil paintings on wood veneers, another nice touch. The entire package is thoughtfully crafted and entertaining, and both children book readers and folk tale aficionados will want to add this to their library. show less

In the same vein as other American folklore featuring larger-than-life characters such as Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill, Swamp Angel is the story of Angelica Longrider, the greatest Tennessee woodswoman who ever lived. She is unbelievably huge, strong, and tough, and performs all manner of impossible feats such as rescuing an entire wagon train that was mired in a swamp. In this story, the people of Tennessee are being tormented by a giant bear that no one can seem to kill, named Thundering Tarnation. Angelica fights with the enormous bear with so much gusto that the dust they raised renamed the mountain range the Great Smoky Mountains. Eventually, Angelica triumphs, and everyone in Tennessee shares in eating the bear, the pelt of which show more Angelica takes to Montana and turns into the Shortgrass Prairie. Kids should be delighted with this extremely over-the-top take on American frontier life, the illustrations capture the humor in the story very well. show less

'Swamp Angel' illustrator, Paul O. Zelinsky brought justice to this story from the book cover to the back cover. This is a modern story with the setting like that of an old 19th century American folktale, which is told by author, Anne Isaacs. Together, these two brought one of the most whimsical stories of its kind. The cover, the page borders, the writing, all stand apart from the lot published around it. Zelinsky's use of wooden borders was an excellent choice that fit in with the setting and tone of the tale like a glove to a hand. If I had to guess I would say he used oils for his work, but I could, easily, be mistaken. What I do know is that he blended his palette of colors into, not just the characters, but the environment as show more well. The heroine of the tale, Angel, is charming and brave; and it shows in the details of her very being in the pages she occupies. The other characters, who came to take on a certain bear in forest, help bring the story to life with whatever type of quirkiness that The Looney Toons got their wacky characteristics from. The forest feels so alive and vibrant with color they might as well be spewing from the pages. The attention to detail, while staying true to his style is something that Zelinsky has mastered here. Every page makes use of the space given to breathe life into Isaac's tale about Angel. I could go on and on, but to cut it short, this story and its illustration is beautiful. show less