Book Review: SWAMP ANGEL by Anne Isaacs

TWU course

Book Review: SWAMP ANGEL by Anne Isaacs

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Isaacs, Anne, 1994. SWAMP ANGEL. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Dutton.
ISBN 0-525-45271-0

2. PLOT SUMMARY
SWAMP ANGEL is a tall tale about the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee. In this story, Angelica Longrider, gets her name because she rescues a group of settlers from a swamp. This story is told in 1815 on the American frontier. Swamp Angel learns a lot about surviving in the backwoods of Tennessee plus she is extremely stronger than all the settlers combined. The illustrations show Swamp Angel as a gigantic woman who is bigger, stronger, and taller living on the frontier. She appears when the settlers are in need of help. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story describes SWAMP ANGEL as the strongest and greatest woodswoman during her time. In the story, SWAMP ANGEL never fears Thundering Tarnation. She continues to go after the huge bear until she kills him. Quoted from the book, "Tarnation pinned Angel to the muddy bottom with one of his gigantic paws. To get a breath of air, she had to drink the whole lake dry."Swamp Angel did not give up fighting Tarnation instead she did everything to kill him. At the end of the story, Angelica Longrider walks away with Thundering Tarnation's pelt.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Move over, Paul Bunyan, you are about to meet Swamp Angel, an original creation in the tall-tale tradition whose exploits are guaranteed to amaze and amuse a wide swath of readers...  Visually exciting, wonderful to read aloud, this is a picture book to remember. (Horn Book)"

"It is impossible to convey the sheer pleasure, the exaggerate loopiness, of newcomer Isaacs's wonderful story. Matching the superb text stride for stride are Zelinsky's altered-state, American primitive paintings-gems that provide new pleasures, reading after reading. (Kirkus)"

Honors: 1995 Caldecott Honor Book, 1994 ALA Notable Book, Booklist Children's Editors Choice 1994, Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 1994.

5. CONNECTIONS
This tall tale would be great to encourage children to write and illustrate their own tall tales or illustrate stories from American folktales.
*Other tall tale stories
MISS SALLY ANN AND THE PAINTER