Bibliography:
Isaacs, Anne. 1994. SWAMP ANGEL. Ill by Paul O. Zewlinsky. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books. 0-525-452-45271-0.
Plot Summary:
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs is a tale about the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee! Angelica Longrider, who later in the story is known as Swamp Angel, as a newborn was slightly taller than her mother! Because of her size she was able to do things that other children were not able to do, such as build a log cabin, show her skills in buckskin bravery and help people in need by rescuing them from Dejection Swamp. When Angelica emerged from Dejection Swamp to lift wagons and stranded people out of harm’s way, she was wearing a homespun dress that made her look like an Angel and from then on she was referred to as Swamp Angel!
Unfortunately out in the Tennessee wilderness a fast and wily bear named Thundering Tarnation was eating all of the winter’s rations of the settlers in Tennessee! Swamp Angel signed up for a competition to see who could kill Thundering Tarnation. As Swamp Angel and Thundering Tarnation fight Swamp Angel grabs a hold of Thundering Tarnation and throws him into the sky so far that "he crashes into a pile of stars, making a lasting impression!”
Critical Analysis:
The illustrations by Paul Zelinsky bring so much value to this story which could easily be boring and uninteresting to a child. The illustrations are incredibly vivid and full of detail, bright colors and a lot of detail. The illustrations showing how large Swamp Angel and Thundering Tarnation are fantastic. The illustrations also give children a clear and real idea of what the Tennessee countryside looks like. Swamp Angel gives a mystical idea of how the Great Smokey Mountains were created and named. The Swamp Angel storyline reminds some of a female version of Paul Bunyan, which stays in line with carrying on the story of a folktale. There are not many folktales where there is a heroine so this is a very special story!
Swamp Angel is a very strong female character that basically does what none of the male hunters were able to do and that was kill Thundering Tarnation. She was viewed as a hero for saving Tennessee from this mean bear. There is also a feminine quality to Swamp Angel since people did view her as an Angel. When she emerged from the swamp with her white dress and bonnet the illustration really shows how she could be seen as an actual angel.
Caldecott Honor 1995
Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book Award
ALA Notable Book Award
New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 1994
Time Magazine’s 8 Best Children’s Book Award
Featured on Storytime, PBS
Connections:
· Swamp Angel would be a fabulous story for school aged children to act out as a small play. Children could learn about coonskin hat settlers, The Smokey Mountains and the fun of watching a woman fight a giant bear!
· Another school aged project could be to take a folktale with a man as the main character and have the children write their own version with a female heroine. It is good for children to see woman as the hero! http://eduscapes.com/library/s/swamp_angel.htm
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