SWAMP ANGEL by Anne Isaacs and Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky

Isaacs, Anne, Ill. Paul O. Zelinsky. 1994. SWAMP ANGEL. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 052545271.

Plot Summary:

SWAMP ANGEL is a tall tale about an unusually large, young Tennessee girl named Angelica Longrider who was born to a pioneering family in 1815. Angelica, also known as Swamp Angel, helps her community rid themselves of a huge pesky bear named Thundering Tarnation who ate up all of their winter rations. The heroine of the story confronts her four-legged foe and wrestles with him for nearly a week. At one point she flings the bear so high into the sky he bumps the stars to form the Great Bear constellation. In another instance, the battle stirs up so much dust that even today people call these mountains the Great Smoky Mountains. Swamp Angel is victorious and uses the bear meat to have a great feast and refill the communities winter rations. Being too large to leave in Tennessee, Swamp Angel drags the bear pelt to Montana where it becomes the Shortgrass Prarie.

Critical Analysis:

The main characters of the story are Angelica Longrider, also known as Swamp Angel and the protagonist of the story, Thundering Tarnation the giant troublesome black bear, and the pioneer community that lives within the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The story takes place the early 1800’s during the pioneering days within the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The events take place over the young life of Swamp Angel, but with the climax of the story taking place over a one week span. The time span between a heroine’s birth and the main action happens within the first five pages of the story to give the read just enough background to the protagonist and quickly move into the action of the story.

The main theme is that the good, Swamp Angel, triumphs over evil, Thundering Tarnation in their epic week-long battle. The universal theme of good versus evil is done in such a way that children will have fun, be entertained and not feel preached to. Storytellers should use a Southern accent to make an impression. That is because the text is written to be read using a Southern accent by using flowery and abbreviated words and phrases. This narrative style creates a steady rhythm to the story that the ready can easily interpret.  Swamp Angel is a supernatural human that is much larger than the other characters in the story and is able to do inhuman acts like build a log cabin at two years old, lifting horse drawn wagons to higher ground, and lassoing a tornado to capture a bear. 

The cool pastel illustrations are done mostly on two-page spreads to enhance the immense size of Swamp Angel as compared to her surroundings. The illustrations are also placed over wood grain backgrounds which give them a picture frame look while including the element of wood panels to represent the wood cutting nature of a frontier woman. Once the action starts, the pace of the story is quick and adventurous.  

The story representatives include early Anglo-American frontier people with few references to other cultures. These other are represented more in the illustrations than in the text itself. However the majority of the story does focuses squarely on the protagonist and antagonist of the tale. 

Review Excerpt:

SWAMP ANGEL has had many positive reviews and honors. It received the 1994 ALA Notable Book, the 1994 School Library Journal Best Books, 1994 Booklist Children's Editors Choice, 1994 Time Magazine's 8 Best Children's Books, the 1994 New York Times Best Illustrated Books, the 1995 Caldecott Honor, the 1995 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor and others (AnneIsaacs.com). Publishers Weekly wrote, “This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling-and perhaps even keeping a close watch on the night sky.” (August, 1994)

Connections:

Many children familiar with other giant human characters in tall tales such as those of Paul Bunyan and John Henry will instantly relate with Swamp Angel. This story is familiar tale with the enhancements of having a female hero and Southern flair. This is an excellent story to read-a-loud to children and may be paired together with those of Paul Bunyan and John Henry to discuss similarities and differences in the tall tales. 

Personal Response:

I particularly liked this story and I even read it aloud in a Southern accent to get the rhythm and cadence of the tale. I think that if I were to practice it a few times in this way, children would really like the story and pick up on the nuances of the story. Most of the illustrations, being across a two page spread, are excellent for story time also because they are large and full of action. I will definitely remember this book when I have to do an impromptu storytelling for children between the ages of 5 and 8. 

References:

AnneIsaacs.com. retrieved from http://anneisaacs.com/node/31 accessed September 22, 2013.

PaulOZelinsky.com. Book cover retrieved from http://www.paulozelinsky.com/images/books/med-res-jackets/swamp_angel_med_res.jpg accessed September 22, 2013.

Publishers Weekly, 1994. Swamp Angel Review. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-525-45271-3 accessed September 22, 2013.