Book Review: Swamp Angel-Caldecott Honor

Cover of "Swamp Angel"Cover of Swamp Angel
"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 woodswoman 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 tell-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 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.


About The Author:


Anne Isaacs was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. She holds degrees in English and in Behavior and Environment from the University of Michigan. Before becoming a writer, she pursued a career in environmental education. Ms. Isaacs lives with her husband and three children in the redwoods near Santa Cruz, California. This is her first book.


About the Illustrator


Paul O. Zelinsky is a highly acclaimed illustrator of many distinguished children's books, including the two Caldecott Honor books Hansel and Gretel (retold by Rika Lesser) and Rumpelstiltskin, as well as the much beloved The Wheels on the Bus, a book with moving parts. Mr. Zelinsky lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Paperback: 40 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin (January 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140559086
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140559088
 I liked this book because it was different from the other children's books that I have read lately. The story moves along quite well and each page is an adventure that goes so well with the illustrations.  5 stars!

Swamp Angel
 

For additional information, you may want to visit my other site for children's songs for preschool or kindergarten, such as "The Wheels on The Bus", including Bus Songs at:
Early Childhood Online Resources
 
Oh yes, here's our little angels,  sweet granddaughter and her momma doing fine.



-- LadyD 


“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis


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1 comment:

  1. I was all set to tell you that the book you reviewed looks great and that I'd have to find it. Instead, I'm going to gush about your daughter (dil?) and new grandbaby. There's just one word to describe that photo and it's GORGEOUS!

    ReplyDelete

As always, so nice to hear from you!