Swamp Angel

Issacs, A. (1994).  Swamp angel.  New York:  Dutton.

Swamp Angel, by Anne Isaacs, is the perfect children’s book to teach students about tall tales.  Swamp Angel is a wonderful alternative to the famous tall tales such as:  Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  Paul O. Zelinksky’s illustrations capture the heart of the action in the book.  It is no surprise that Swamp Angel received the Caldecott Honor Award in 1995. 

Swamp Angel is tall tale whose main character, Angelica Longrider, was born “scarcely taller than her mother,” which is quite an exaggeration.  Her father gave her an ax to play with and by the time Angelica was two years old, she built her first log cabin.  When she was twelve years old she went through a swamp to rescue wagons that were stuck.  The settlers thought she was an angel coming from the foggy swamp, and therefore called her Swamp Angel.  You’ll have to read the ending to find out what Swamp Angel does to save the settlers’ winter supply in Tennessee.

I would use this book to teach a literature lesson for fourth or fifth grade students.  As a pre-reading activity I would use sentences from the book, known as book bits, to get the students enthusiastic about the book.  As a during reading activity, I would ask the students to identify the exaggerations in the book.  As a post-reading activity, I would instruct the students to choose one event from the book, expand on the event, and illustrate the event, while using exaggerations.  Another option for a post-reading activity would be for students to act out the exaggerations from one event in the book and share their drama with the classroom.   Some BIG questions you can ask students are, "What would have happened if Swamp Angel did not save the settlers' winter supply?  If you were a settler in Tennessee during this time, what would you do to save your winter supply?".

    

         I would recommend this book to my colleagues because it is a hilarious book that is sure to make students laugh while learning the features of a tall tale.  It is developmentally appropriate for students in fourth and fifth grade.  It is best when read with a southern, country accent.