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304th out of 332 books
—
339 voters
Swamp Angel
Swamp Angel can lasso a tornado, and drink an entire lake dry. She single-handedly defeats the fearsome bear known as Thundering Tarnation, wrestling him from the top of the Great Smoky Mountains to the bottom of a deep lake. Caldecott Medal-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky's stunning folk-art paintings are the perfect match for the irony, exaggeration, and sheer good humor...more
Paperback, 40 pages
Published
January 1st 2000
by Puffin
(first published September 1st 1994)
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2 1/2 stars~I started with Swamp Angel, it looked interesting. I liked the cover and I have to say I wanted to like this book more than I did. The title itself is a promising title. I couldn't really get into the story. I found myself more interested in the illustrations themselves. Again, I liked the cover but once I got inside I wasn't really thrilled. I agree with Kathryn I like the tall tale aspect of the story but I didn't feel it really delivered. I also couldn't get past the tobacco and w...more
Oct 16, 2009
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
This is an interesting folktale, similar to the "Paula Bunyan" book I read a month or so ago. It's full of tall tales and exaggerations and is a fun story to read aloud. The illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky are funny and have an old fashioned feel.
This story was selected as one of the books for the August 2010 - North American Folktales reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This story was selected as one of the books for the August 2010 - North American Folktales reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
2 likes · like · see review
Swamp Angel tells the story of Angelica Longrid who was born in Tennessee and as a newborn was "scarcely taller than her mother". She is a beloved member of her community and because of her courageous acts of rescue, she becomes known as "Swamp Angel". When the great bear "Thundering Tarnation" begins to terrorize the good people of Tennessee, Angel joins the hunt to find the bear and protect her people.
Anne Isaacs crafts an engaging folktale set in the hills of Tennessee. The place and the peo...more
Anne Isaacs crafts an engaging folktale set in the hills of Tennessee. The place and the peo...more
1. This book belongs in the genre of traditional literature.
2. This book is told in the tradition of a tall tale. This book is about a young woman who becomes the greatest outdoors woman who builds her first log cabin at the age of two and wrestles bears. This book is full of exaggerations and places Angelica Longrider among Paul Bunion and other greats.
3. The areas for critique is plot. This plot is fairly predictable when looked at in the context of tall tales. However, Isaacs, creates a twis...more
2. This book is told in the tradition of a tall tale. This book is about a young woman who becomes the greatest outdoors woman who builds her first log cabin at the age of two and wrestles bears. This book is full of exaggerations and places Angelica Longrider among Paul Bunion and other greats.
3. The areas for critique is plot. This plot is fairly predictable when looked at in the context of tall tales. However, Isaacs, creates a twis...more
May 02, 2012
Mary Walling
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
ages 4 and above
Recommended to Mary by:
Fire and Ice
Swamp Angel
by Anne Issacs
Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published September 1, 1994
by Dutton Children's Books
ISBN-10: 0525452710
ISBN-13: 978-0525452713
Book Source: Bought
5 Stars
Book Summary: This is an original story told in the American frontier tradition of tall tales. The Swamp Angel of the title is Angelica Longrider, who was born scarcely taller than her mother and didn’t build her first log cabin until she was a full two years old. In the tallest tale of all, Swamp Ange...more
by Anne Issacs
Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published September 1, 1994
by Dutton Children's Books
ISBN-10: 0525452710
ISBN-13: 978-0525452713
Book Source: Bought
5 Stars
Book Summary: This is an original story told in the American frontier tradition of tall tales. The Swamp Angel of the title is Angelica Longrider, who was born scarcely taller than her mother and didn’t build her first log cabin until she was a full two years old. In the tallest tale of all, Swamp Ange...more
a. Isaacs, Anne. 1994. SWAMP ANGEL Ill. by Paul Zelinsky. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 0525452710
b. This traditional tale starts with the hyperbolic birth and growth of Angelica Longrider, who takes on the epithet of Swamp Angel at the age of twelve. At birth she is barely taller than her mother, and at twelve she is able to lift covered wagons and save them from a murky burial in the Tennessee swamp. When a enormous bear begins to ravage the settlement’s food storage, Swamp Angel ent...more
b. This traditional tale starts with the hyperbolic birth and growth of Angelica Longrider, who takes on the epithet of Swamp Angel at the age of twelve. At birth she is barely taller than her mother, and at twelve she is able to lift covered wagons and save them from a murky burial in the Tennessee swamp. When a enormous bear begins to ravage the settlement’s food storage, Swamp Angel ent...more
I actually heard of “Swamp Angel” when I first saw it on one of the “Weston Woods” videos. “Swamp Angel” is a Caldecott Honor Book by Anne Isaacs along with gorgeous illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky and it is about how Tennessee’s greatest woods woman, Swamp Angel, tries to outsmart a threatening black bear named Thundering Tarnation. “Swamp Angel” may have some scattering images that might be a bit irritable for some children, but it still a great read for children who love tall tales!
Seeing a...more
Seeing a...more
There were things I liked a lot about this book. First, it's a very tall tale with a very tall girl and a very big bear. I like the "just so stories" aspect because we learn how the Smoky Mountains were named, and how Ursa Major came to be in the sky (tall tales style, of course). And some of the writing style was quite fun, in the best folksy, tall tale fashion--why, it's no wonder "stories about the Swamp Angel spring up like sunflowers along the wagon trails."
Now, I was not a big fan of the...more
Now, I was not a big fan of the...more
5 likes · like · see review
This tall tale introduces us to giantess woodswoman named Swamp Angel, a fictional Tennessee heroine who saves the villagers from a ravaging bear. She is a respectable challenger to the bear's strength, and their fight has quite an ending, forever remembered in the stars (hint: how did 'big bear' get to be the name of a constellation anyway?!). This is a wonderful read aloud, especially if the reader has some fun with dialect and all the fun expressions. Since I'm from the midwest and feel at ho...more
Looking at the illustrations within the first few pages of Swamp Angel, I was making comparisons to the story of Paul Bunyan. It wasn't until I was three or four pages in that I realized I was looking more closely at the illustrations rather than the text, and decided I needed to start the reading over again.
Upon looking more closely at the text, I really appreciated the voice in the author's writing. I felt the language was very representative of "Tennessee talk" and fit very well with both th...more
Upon looking more closely at the text, I really appreciated the voice in the author's writing. I felt the language was very representative of "Tennessee talk" and fit very well with both th...more
I read this for the Picture Books club over at the Children's Books group, where this month’s theme is North American folk tales. This one surprised me because it is an original tale; I was expecting and I would have preferred to read a more traditional tale, although, if I’d enjoyed this story and its illustrations more than I did, I’d probably have been thrilled with a brand new tale.
My favorite things about this book were the different wood grains background of the illustrations, the last pag...more
My favorite things about this book were the different wood grains background of the illustrations, the last pag...more
4 likes · like · see review
Citation: Swamp Angel, by Anne Isaacs. (Dutton Children’s Books, 1994). 34p. Traditional Literature.
Genre: Picture Book – Traditional Literature
Summary: Angelica Longrider born in Tennessee becomes a swamp angel by saving a stranded wagon train. This tall tale continues with her fighting a big black bear named Tarnation.
A. One of the strengths of the story is the suspense and action that is portrayed through the illustrations and interwoven throughout the story.
B. Angelica Longrider a.k.a. Swa...more
Genre: Picture Book – Traditional Literature
Summary: Angelica Longrider born in Tennessee becomes a swamp angel by saving a stranded wagon train. This tall tale continues with her fighting a big black bear named Tarnation.
A. One of the strengths of the story is the suspense and action that is portrayed through the illustrations and interwoven throughout the story.
B. Angelica Longrider a.k.a. Swa...more
Title: Swamp Angel
Arthor: Anne Isaacs
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Date of publication: 1994
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.
ISBN: 0-525-45271-0
Number of Pages: 34
Description/ Summary: Gr. K-2. Swamp Angle wrestles a huge bear, names Thurndering Tarnation, to help the people of Tennessee, Swamp Angel must kill the bear to save the winter supplies of the town.
Lesson: Read a- loud for younger students, and compare different Tall Tale stores. For older student...more
Arthor: Anne Isaacs
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Date of publication: 1994
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.
ISBN: 0-525-45271-0
Number of Pages: 34
Description/ Summary: Gr. K-2. Swamp Angle wrestles a huge bear, names Thurndering Tarnation, to help the people of Tennessee, Swamp Angel must kill the bear to save the winter supplies of the town.
Lesson: Read a- loud for younger students, and compare different Tall Tale stores. For older student...more
This story is told in the tall-tale tradition and it tells the story of Angelica Longrider (the female equivalent of Paul Bunyan) on her quest to take Thundering Tarnation’s pelt. It is set in a clear place and time on the Tennessee frontier, 1815, and in style the illustrations really represent the feel of the time period. Picturing Books calls it a stylized painterly technique done in oils, but I would add that it also reminds me of the primitive Americana style by its use of colors, clothing,...more
This is a charming book. Lovely artwork, a droll tale-talesy tone, and enough dialogue to let you do "voices" if you're reading aloud to a child, as well as small recurring elements in the art that your child can look for on each page. It's remarkably subtle in some ways, despite being about a giant girl; on the frontispiece, Swamp Angel is standing in a posed picture, holding flowers and smiling at the viewer. It's only if you look a little more closely that you realise the flowers are sunflowe...more
Tall Tale/Traditional fantasy about a very large baby that grows into an even larger woman names Angelica Longrider. She lives in Tennessee and helps her neighbors and parents. The story comes to a close when she takes on a large black bear that has been stealing the food the people of Tennessee have stored for the winter. They tumble and brawl, but she beats him in the end. Her and her parents make everyone a huge feast and replenish their food supply with bear meat. She takes the extremely lar...more
American tall tale of frontier and pioneer life tells the story of legend Angelica Longrider of Tennessee. Tall tales are exaggerations and the illustrations in the book show Angelica as an enormous woman. The size of book (31 cm) is quite large and the cover shows Angelica towering over her parents. Each illustration exaggerates Angelica's size in comparison to other people, animals, buildings, and the landscape. Beautiful illustrations for the book were painted in oils on cherry, maple, and bi...more
The end pages start with the texture of the book with what looks like real wood and continue as the frame of all the pictures. The frames are different geometric shapes, which create more appeal and variety within the book. Because of the wood frames there is also no negative space. The pictures are drawn in the expressive style. This gives the tone that this book is more magical then a realistic style. The medium used is pastels and there are a lot of contrasting colors to make everything disti...more
I haven't fallen for a book this unexpectedly for a while.
My niece picked it out at the library, and you can imagine that my three boys were less than interested in a book apparently about a pioneer girl named Swamp ANGEL. You know.
But this book is about a Paul Bunyan-esque sort of girl who wrestles bears and squeezes clouds to extinguish fires. My boys and I loved it.
Swamp Angel is from Tennessee; in myth-fashion, her adventures shape the land of that area, which is fun to see.
**Lit.Act.--Find...more
My niece picked it out at the library, and you can imagine that my three boys were less than interested in a book apparently about a pioneer girl named Swamp ANGEL. You know.
But this book is about a Paul Bunyan-esque sort of girl who wrestles bears and squeezes clouds to extinguish fires. My boys and I loved it.
Swamp Angel is from Tennessee; in myth-fashion, her adventures shape the land of that area, which is fun to see.
**Lit.Act.--Find...more
I quite enjoyed this. I read it to my library classes as part of a lesson on tall tales. It worked well in illustrating the elements of a tall tale yet was a story they hadn't already heard. Overall the students enjoyed it, especially the illustrations. This is definitely deserving of its Caldecott Honor! The attention to detail that carries from page to page throughout the story is a lot of fun. Many of my students noticed the dog that appears on nearly every page - even though he is TINY.
A ver...more
A ver...more
2 likes · like · see review
I was a little disappointed with this book. I mean how can you go wrong with Paul O. Zelinsky doing your illustrations (folk-art style)? Even though his paintings are great, this original tall tale, which is kind of like the Southern female version of Paul Bunyun, fell sorta flat. Angelica Longrider, aka Swamp Angel due to her rescuing some pioneers in a swamp, is pretty impressive. She uses rain clouds to stop a house fire, uses her apron to stop a flood, just to name a couple feats. She decide...more
This book was about a girl who was very over sized for her age, she was almost like a giant. She was taller than her parents right when she was born. Even though she was so big she did many things around her town to help many people. Her nickname is the Swamp Angel because she saved people and their carriages from the swamp. This book also shows an adventure of the whole state of Tennessee trying to slay this ginormous bear. The Swamp Angel yet again comes to the rescue with this adventure.
The book had amazing illustrations and that was the reason I choose it off the shelf. The story itself was far fetched but children of all ages would become engaged in it. For adults, the story ties to characteristics about various states making it interesting for adults but also a teaching lesson for children. I thought it was odd that it was never formally mentioned that the main character is a giant, but hey that's for the children to determine and let their imagination run wild!
Tall tale of a Tennessee giant of a woman called Swamp Angel (Angelica Longrider) and Thundering Tarnation, a bear who has been eating the winter stores of everyone around. When there's a contest to hunt the bear down, the men taunt Swamp Angel, but she is the victor. After fighting with the bear for five days straight, they fall asleep, still fighting and their snores bring down trees. One falls on the bear. The people feast on him, and Swamp Angel is given his pelt.
A tall tale about a girl they call Swamp Angel. A bear by the name of Thundering Tarnation has been terrorizing the town so Swamp Angel along with scores of brave men attempt to battle Tarnation and bring back his pelt. Swamp Angel battles Tarnation for days and finally brings a tree down upon him with her snoring. Great tone. The author writes the story as if a storyteller from Appalachia is telling it. Amazing art that enhances the story by supplying extra details and humor not mentioned in te...more
I really liked this book. It was kind of funny that the girl was so big, but she really helped out everyone.
Summary: This book is about a girl names Angelica Longrider, who was born abnormally big, and because of this she was able to do things that normal humans couldn’t do. She helped people out of a swamp and pulled their wagons out like it was nothing, she could drink up a whole lake, and when the time came, she had to wrestle a bear. This bears name was Thundering Tarnation because that’s al...more
Summary: This book is about a girl names Angelica Longrider, who was born abnormally big, and because of this she was able to do things that normal humans couldn’t do. She helped people out of a swamp and pulled their wagons out like it was nothing, she could drink up a whole lake, and when the time came, she had to wrestle a bear. This bears name was Thundering Tarnation because that’s al...more
Sep 03, 2012
Paul
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
caldecott,
childrens-lit
Zelinsky's Americana folk-art style is a good fit for this "tall tale" (truly) set in Tennessee. With all his oils painted on cherry, maple or birch veneer, bare-wood backgrounds provide the frame for the paintings.
It's interesting to have recently read Big Jabe, John Henry and now Swamp Angel, each about an over-sized and liberating figure.
It's interesting to have recently read Big Jabe, John Henry and now Swamp Angel, each about an over-sized and liberating figure.
The author creates an interest story of how the Smokey Mountains got their name. This would be a good book to use during a history unit on the states or on how people lived in the colonial times. The story is catching beside of how the author has the girl know for being to tall and big for a girl, and she does things that the men are suppose to do.
Angelica is no ordinary prarie girl. She is determined to be the rootinist tootinist girl on the prarie. Swamp Angel as everyone calls her goes toe to toe with Thundering Tarnation the biggest bear Tennessee has ever seen and wins. This was a cute funny book that send the message that you can do what you put your mind to despite what others think about you.
First off I would like to point out that I now know what a caldecot medal is. I feel that it was well deserving of the award, since the pictures are so great and over the top. I love some of the pictures with her and the bear. I feel that many students would really get into the book, and it is a great way to teach them the word tarnation!!
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Aug 09, 2010 12:28pm
Aug 09, 2010 12:59pm