Hart of a Librarian: Swamp Angel

Swamp Angel Review

by Kelly Hartman

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Isaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1994 ISBN 0525452710

PLOT SUMMARY

Born in 1815 in Tennessee, Angelica Longrider stands taller with obvious supernatural strength even if those around her seem to think she's a normal infant. At just the age of twelve , Angelica emerges from the fog to rescue stranded settlers and is crowned with the name Swamp Angel. When a grizzly bear, Thundering Tarnation, threatens the peace and food supply, many hunters compete to put an end to its menacing ways. When the hunters prove to be no match for the huge bear, Swamp Angel is left to rescue the settlers once again. The foes battle back and forth with Swamp Angel coming out as the victor.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

From the very beginning of Anne Isaacs' folktale, the reader is mesmerized by the "larger-than-life" description of Angelica and entertained by the blasé reaction of her parents and the community living with her. The storyteller solidifies her strong female hero-type the moment Angelica emerges from the mist to save desperate settlers, and makes the reader want to cheer with that one cry, "It's an angel." Pivotal to a folktale's plot, the reader is captured by the action-oriented challenge between Swamp Angel's good and Thundering Tarnation's evil. Despite the exaggeration of the tale, the reader is satisfied with cultural markers set by Isaacs; the explanation of The Great Smoky Mountains-the fight stirring up so much dust; and Ursa Major-Swamp Angel throwing Thundering Tarnation up to the sky. In the end, all is resolved when Tarnation is defeated and all storehouses in Tennessee are stocked with bear meat. Isaacs is successful in capturing the spoken language of the Appalachian culture, making this a story best read aloud in the accent of that region.

Paul Zelinksky's painted oils on cherry, maple, and birch veneers set the perfect backdrop for Swamp Angel, "the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee." The illustrations add to this story by giving the reader insight even when the narrator doesn't seem to understand the unrealistic nature of the tale.

AWARD AND REVIEW EXCERPTS

1995 Caldecott Honor Book

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award

"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." -- starred review, Horn Book, March/April 1995, M.M.B.

"There are very few tall tales about extraordinary women in American folklore compared to those that extol the virtues of men, and this comic rendition about a gifted, powerful and helpful woman is in all ways superb." -- New York Times, 11/13/94, by Jack Zipes

CONNECTIONS

Writing and Storytelling Connection

Have students write a short script retelling the story. Practice storytelling with voices, gestures, and props.

Gather...More Tall Tales

Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen 9780152164720

Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg 9780688135775

Extension

Teacher Activities from the author

Ideas

Use our TexQuest Library Resources to Research(use permalink: un:roe; pw: hawks)