Swamp Angel

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fHcNsuVRL._SS500_.jpg

Bibliography

Isaacs, Anne. Illus by Paul O. Zelinsky.  Swamp Angel.  New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1994.  0525452710

Summary

When Angelica Longrider was born, she was just a happy, Tennessee baby with a loving family.  She grew up making log houses and playing in the hills, as was the norm.  However, the day she bare-handedly saved a group of covered wagons from being stuck in a swamp showed that she might be more than people expected.

Analysis

The voice in Swamp Angel rings clear from the first page; this is a story about rural southern America.  The voice of the narrator takes you to the back hills, with phrases such as “second to none in buckskin bravery.”  The illustrations support this, showing idealistic scenes of the Great Smokey Mountains and the details of the hills. 

What grabs the reader’s attention is the juxtaposition of illustration, text and logic.  Isaacs makes statements that are clearly absurd and presents them as fact.  In explaining Swamp Angel’s very average birth, he states that she “was scarcely taller than her mother and couldn’t climb a tree without help.”  The illustration shows a traditional happy family, however the young child in her mother’s arms has a head the size of beach ball and a full-grown body.   Young and old will see the humor and oddity in this statement and be drawn into the story to discover more about this strange character. 

It is easy to fall in love with Swamp Angel.  From the second page of the book, she is going out of her way to help others, putting out fires and saving covered wagons while asking for nothing in return.  She shows courage and gumption, self-confidence and bravery, never allowing naysayers to get the better of her.  She shows the importance of determination and hard work to the American settlers while providing an entertaining story at the same time.

Awards and Reviews

*Caldecott Honor, 1995

*New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 1994

*ALA Notable Book, 1994

*School Library Journal Best Books of 1994

“This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“It is impossible to convey the sheer pleasure, the exaggerated loopiness, of newcomer Isaacs's wonderful story. Matching the superb text stride for stride are Zelinsky's (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990) altered-state, American primitive paintings--gems that provide new pleasures, reading after reading. To say that you are entering Caldecott land doesn't begin to do this book justice.” – Kirkus

"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 Books

Connections

After reading Swamp Angel, read Sally Ann Thunder AnnWhirlwind Crockett by Steven Kellogg.  Students could compare and contrast the two characters, looking at their similarities and differences.

In Swamp Angel, the origins of the Short Grass Prairie are explained.  Provide students with a list of natural landmarks in the United States, such as the Grand Canyon, redwood forest and great lakes.  Have students choose one and then write a tall tale explaining how it came to be.

To extend the story, have students write as Swamp Angel to Sally Ann Whirlwind or Paul Bunyan telling of her recent adventures.

Anne Issacs biography

Isaacs explains how SwampAngel came to be.

Book Preview of Dust Devil, the sequel to Swamp Angel, with a focus on illustrations.