| Historical Fiction |
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| Short Stories |
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Summary
Summary
The perfect addition to every family's home library and just right for sharing aloud, American Tall Tales introduces readers to America's first folk heroes in nine wildly exaggerated and downright funny stories.
Here are Paul Bunyan, that king-sized lumberjack who could fell "ten white pines with a single swing"; John Henry, with his mighty hammer; Mose, old New York's biggest, bravest fireman; Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, who could "outgrin, outsnort, outrun, outlift, outsneeze, outsleep, outlie any varmint"; and other uniquely American characters, together in one superb collection.
In the tradition of the original nineteenth-century storytellers, Mary Pope Osborne compiles, edits, and adds her own two cents' worth--and also supplies fascinating historical headnotes. Michael McCurdy's robust colored wood engravings recall an earlier time, perfectly capturing all the vitality of the men and women who carved a new country out of the North American wilderness.
Author Notes
Mary Pope Osborne was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma on May 20, 1949. She grew up in a military family, and by the time she was 15 she had lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida, and four different army posts in Virginia and North Carolina. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in religion. After graduation, she traveled around Europe and Asia. Before becoming an author, she worked as a window dresser, a medical assistant, a Russian travel consultant, a waitress, an acting teacher, a bartender, and an assistant editor for a children's magazine.
Her first book, Run, Run as Fast as You Can, was published in 1982. She is the author of the Magic Tree House series and the Merlin Missions series. Her husband, actor Will Osborne, helps her write the nonfiction companion series, Magic Tree House Research Guides. Her other books include The Deadly Power of Medusa, Jason and the Argonauts, Haunted Waters, and Moonhorse.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A host of old standbys are being reissued this winter. "American folk heroes of the 19th century spring to life in these splendidly retold sagas," said PW upon the 1991 publication of Mary Pope Osborne's American Tall Tales, illus. by Michael McCurdy. The gifted raconteur retells the legends of familiar figures (Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill), as well as lesser-known personalities. McCurdy's elaborate full-color wood engravings, in their robust stylization, dramatically render the grandeur of the yarns. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A handsome collection of retellings includes all the familiar American folk heroes from Johnny Appleseed to Stormalong. Traditional escapades are described and illustrated with energy and humor. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. Paul Bunyan lit a forest fire to heat his flapjack griddle, and his ox weighed "more than the combined weight of all the fish that ever got away." Some say that Pecos Bill's rope was exactly as long as the equator; some argue it was two feet shorter. Wild, bragging, and absurd, Osborne's versions of nine tall tales are perfect for telling to all ages. Rooted in the nineteenth-century struggle with the huge, overpowering American wilderness, the tales snap with insult ("you mangy bobtailed fleabag") and witty confrontation, though there is an occasional melancholy note, as when the giant John Henry dies fighting the new steam-driven machines. In her general introduction and her notes for each tale, Osborne talks about the mixture of history and wild fantasy, and about how she's adapted her sources. Sometimes a ludicrous didactic tone creeps into her commentary, as when she apologizes for these nineteenth-century macho types who tamed the environment instead of preserving it ("Sadly, the lumber industry was not concerned then with the conservation of forestland, as it is today"). But the tales themselves keep the boasting humor and hyperbole of the originals. One of the most entertaining characters is Osborne's composite of many extraordinary females: Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind is a hero for us all ("Don't call me sweetie . . . I can outgrin, outsnort, outrun, outlift, outsneeze, outsleep, outlie any varmint from Maine to Louisiana"). The oversize book is clear and accessible in design, and it has a long, detailed bibliography. The handsome color woodcuts are full of the exaggerated action and comedy of the stories. (Reviewed Mar. 15, 1992)0679800891Hazel Rochman
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-- This strikingly handsome, oversized volume presents nine all-American figures whose overblown exploits take them from coast to coast and through all manner of occupations and preoccupations. Osborne has chosen familiar fictitious characters--Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Febold Feboldson--and actual people, such as Johnny Appleseed and Davy Crockett, and relates episodes that stress the individuals' human weaknesses as well as strengths. She has melded several legendary characters into a single heroine, Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, who more than holds her own in such grand company. The rip-roaring action, broad humor, and colorful language of the convention are all here, but the violence is kept to a minimum and the laughs aren't at anyone's expense, except perhaps the subjects, who feel rather foolish on occasion. McCurdy's intricate wood engravings tinted with watercolor equal their tall task. He sets these larger-than-life folk on majestic landscapes brimming with energy, rich with wildlife and local color. The author's thoughtful introduction and notes round out this superlative offering. It's ``the whole steamboat!'' --Luann Toth, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
For the 90's, a handsome, well-documented collection of stories about nine uniquely American characters. In her intelligent introduction, Osborne explains their genesis ``from various combinations of historical fact, the storytelling of ordinary people, and the imagination of professional writers'' and notes that changing times put a new light on stories deriding various groups (including women and even animals). Thus her intention is to emphasize ``gargantuan physical courage and absurd humor'' and to ``bring out the vulnerable and compassionate side'' despite the stories' ``ineradicable taint of violence.'' Osborne succeeds pretty well in her intention, piecing together stories that make fine introductions to characters like Mose and Stormalong. Her approach suits Johnny Appleseed and John Henry better than it does Davy Crockett battling a panther, but she does manage to put a new slant on Pecos Bill and his bouncing bride without undermining the story (there's no question of a wife's disobedience here; Sue wants to ride Bill's horse as a test of skill). The telling is more polished than lively--Glen Rounds's irrepressible wit (Ol' Paul, the Mighty Logger, 1949) is more fun, but these versions are perfectly acceptable. McCurdy's vigorous wood engravings, tinted with lucid color, contribute a rugged frontier flavor; lively, though a bit formal in style, they suit the text admirably. Each story is introduced by source notes; a story-by-story bibliography provides a good roundup of this popular genre. (Folklore. 6-12)
Excerpts
Excerpts
... Excerpted from American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
