A review by bluenicorn
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs

3.0

So one of my first reactions to this was, "Wait a minute- this isn't an original tall tale," which I thought quite snottily, before another part of me heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation at that other part of me. Because if we only read "original" anything, where would that leave us? Would we say, "This story of good and evil was totally already done in the Old Testament"? Like, don't bother ever writing anything because it's "already been done"? Moreover, what would that mean for girls and children of color- they should just be happy with the tall tales that only feature men or boys, or think of John Henry as the only hero they get? No way! So even though I don't like children's books where animals (especially those with speaking roles) die/are killed, and I wasn't super into the illustrations (not bad, just not my favorite style), I appreciate this for filling a void, which is that of a strong female heroine in a tall tale. I also think that if this were read by a Southerner or someone who could do an accent that wasn't terrible, it would be really fun to have read aloud.