Swamp Angel

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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.

How Chipmunk Got His Stripes

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Bibliography

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac.  Illus. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.  How Chipmunk Got His Stripes.  New York:Puffin, 2001.  9781404671027

Summary

It is a lovely autumn day when Bear, feeling confident, is out for a walk.  As he is walking, he chants that he is the biggest, strongest and loudest of all the animals.  Knowing this to be true, he claims to be capable of doing anything.  Little Chipmunk overhears Bear’s claim and asks if Bear can keep the sun from rising.  Certain that he is powerful enough, Bear states he can and demands the sun to stay down.  What follows is a lesson in humility for both big and small creatures.

Analysis

People have always attempted to make sense of the world.  With simple characters, a universal setting and repeating phrases, it is easy to see how this folktale was passed down through generations of Native Americans up and down the eastern coastline.  The lessons it teaches are straightforward and show the cultural values of the tribes.  Bear’s vanity, arrogance, and ultimate downfall as well as chipmunk’s lack of empathy show the importance of humility and respect to the Native people. 

The illustrations are simple, allowing the personality of the characters to shine through.  By focusing on the animals, their size and emotions are clearly transmitted.  Young readers especially will gain more meaning from the menacing face of Bear and the teasing expressions of Chipmunk then they would from the text alone.  They will be able to sympathize with bear when the sun rises as well as feel chipmunk’s fear when trying to escape from the gigantic predator.

Awards and Reviews

Bear struts through the forest, bragging as he goes: "I am Bear. I am the biggest of all the animals. Yes, I am!-I can do anything. Yes, I can!" Little Brown Squirrel elects to challenge him: "Can you tell the sun not to rise tomorrow morning?" Bear accepts the challenge. As the sun sets, he issues his command and the two settle down to see what morning will bring. As the night progresses, the braggart continues to boast, and Squirrel cannot resist teasing. When the sun predictably rises in the morning, Bear is disgruntled and angry, and his taunter foolishly continues to tease. When Bear threatens to eat the little creature, Squirrel makes a desperate dash for his burrow. He is able to escape, but not before Bear has raked his back with his sharp claws. Although the scratches heal, they leave Squirrel with long, pale stripes on his back. He is now Chipmunk, the Striped One. In their introductory authors' notes, the Bruchacs indicate that the story is an amalgam of tales they have heard from Cherokee, Abenaki, and Mohawk sources, and has further been fleshed out through their own telling over the years. The result is polished, cohesive, and energetic. While the story begs to be told, Aruego and Dewey's vibrantly hued trademark watercolors add significantly to the humor. A priority purchase for most collections.  -Grace Oliff, School Library Journal

In Bruchac and his son's (When the Chenoo Howls) serviceable retelling of a Native American pourquoi tale, Brown Squirrel challenges prideful Bear to keep the sun from rising. When the sun does rise, and Brown Squirrel teases Bear, Bear threatens to eat Brown Squirrel, and his claw marks transform the fellow into Chipmunk. Though the prose occasionally falters (e.g., "Everyone was happy except for one animal. That animal was Bear" or the advice of Brown Squirrel's grandmother, "It is good to be right about something. But when someone else is wrong, it is not a good idea to tease him"), the dialogue is effective and invites audience participation especially the repeated phrases with sound effects, as when the quarrelsome pair sit side by side all night chanting: "The sun will not come up, hummph!" and "The sun is going to rise, oooh!" Aruego and Dewey (Antarctica Antics) create lush landscapes, but Bear and Brown Squirrel are uncharacteristically bland, often featuring the same facial expressions repeatedly.  –Publishers Weekly Reviews

Connections

To highlight similar values, students could compare Hare from The Tortoise and the Hare to Bear.  A class discussion could highlight how the stories are the same and how they are different.  We know that the stories originated in different parts of the world.  What do you think is similar about the places and people where they come from?  What do you think might be different about these cultures?  Students could then write a letter to either character explaining how they should have behaved.

An author study could be done focusing on Joseph Bruchac.  Before researching Bruchac, a number of his books such as Racoon’s Last Race, Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back, and The First Strawberries, could be read and students could make inferences about Bruchac’s background and what he believes is important.