Swamp Angel

By Anne Isaacs

Isaacs, Anne. 1994.  Swamp Angel. NY, NY: Penguin Books USA. ISBN: 0-525-45271-0

PLOT SUMMARY:

Angelica Longrider was born larger, almost as tall as her mother.  As she grew older she learned all sorts of things such as building log cabins.  She was also very helpful; she rescued pioneers when their wagons got caught in the mud.  A bear came into Tennessee and began eating all of the settler’s food.  The people have a competition to see who can kill this bear.  Angel signs up even after all the men taunt her and make fun.  No one was able to catch that bear except Angel.  Angel and that bear have a big long battle which Angel finally wins.  Angel brings the bear meat back to the settlers and they all eat. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Angelica Longrider is a very tall girl, she was born that way.  Tarnation the bear is a big old nasty bear that came and took all the settler’s food.  Tarnantion was also very large like Angel, his pelts were too big for Tennesse so Angel has to move out to Montana after she kills him.

The plot of this story has the characteristics of most folk tales, it has a quest for the main character to fulfill that is difficult.  There are also many action scenes in the story and it flows quickly.  The setting of this story is in Tennessee a very long time ago.  The story is obviously a made up tale that could never have happened in real life.  Time passes quickly in this tale. When the tale begins Angel is a baby and when it closes she is grown and off on her own to use the bear’s pelt as a rug. 

The story has a theme of good triumphing over evil like in most folktales.  In the end Angel beats Tarnation.  The author even names the main characters in such a way where the good character’s name has a good connotation and the bad character’s name has a bad connotation. Angel speaks with a southern drawl and the reader can imagine her walking around the prairie many years ago.  At the end of the story we can also see that the author is explaining how the bear constellation came into place. 

CONNECTIONS:

This book could be read along with other “tall tales” such as Paul Bunyan.  The children can also write their own tall tales that teach a lesson.  This book would also make a very nice puppet show. The children could make puppets of the characters.  They could even make a bear puppet out a paper bag and some brown construction paper.

REVIEWS:

From Publishers Weekly

Zelinsky's (Rumpelstiltskin) stunning American-primitive oil paintings, set against an unusual background of cherry, maple and birch veneers, frankly steal the show here. Their success, however, does not diminish the accomplishment of Isaacs, whose feisty tall tale marks an impressive picture-book debut.