  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 09/01/2010 K-Gr 4—Zelinsky and Isaacs pull out all the stops in this dazzling companion to Swamp Angel (Dutton, 1994). Angelica "Angel" Longrider, the "wildest wildcat in Tennessee," has moved to Montana, "a country so sizable even Angel could fit in." The West seems to suit the feisty heroine, but she has trouble finding a horse powerful enough to carry her until she wrestles a violent storm and Dust Devil emerges mythically out of the fray. Isaacs's text, rich in playful language and alliteration, never misses the opportunity to make the most of the tall-tale convention as the formidable duo embark on a series of action-packed adventures centered on vanquishing a band of backward-speaking bad guys. Zelinsky has a heyday masterfully illustrating the high jinks with his meticulous oil paintings on cedar, aspen, and maple veneers, all of which are elegantly encased by a thin red border. Using softly glowing tones, he brands his own version of a Western folk style to flawlessly render the big-sky setting. The variety of layouts such as ovals, strips, and spot art effectively propel the hilarious, multilayered plot forward while panoramic spreads breathtakingly showcase the story's most dramatic moments. Readers will chuckle over the absurdity of the giant mosquitoes ridden by nasty Bart and his gang and learn the origins of buttes, geysers, the Grand Canyon, and even the California gold rush. A stunning tour de force and a satisfying continuation of Angel's saga.—Caroline Ward, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT - Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 09/01/2010 *Starred Review* Children who know Angelica Longrider, the “wildest wildcat in Tennessee” in the Caldecott Honor Book Swamp Angel (1994), will cheer her return in this sequel, which sends the barefoot, bear-wrestling giant to Montana. After rearranging a mountain or two, Angel feels settled in her new home. All she needs is a horse powerful enough to support her Himalayan size, and she finds her answer when a dust storm hits in the summer of 1835. Leaping onto the swirling funnel clouds of grime, she wrestles the storm until it magically takes equine shape and becomes Dust Devil, her trusty sidekick, who arrives just in time to help her take on a team of larger-than-life bandits, led by Backward Bart. Once again, Isaacs’ story and Zelinsky’s oil-paint-on-wood artwork create a laugh-out-loud tall tale with folksy phrasing and slapstick exaggeration. There are really two adventures in one here, which makes for a lengthy read-aloud, but children will delight in the deadpan, Old West narration and every gleefully silly, expertly rendered visual detail, from Bart’s steed (a saloon-sized mosquito) to Angel’s full-branched pine-tree knitting needles. A few pourqoui elements wrap up this handsomely designed, thoroughly entertaining stand-alone sequel. - Copyright 2010 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2010 The heroine of Isaacs’ original tall tale Swamp Angel (BCCB 11/94) has “moved west to Montana, a country so sizeable that even Angel could fit in.” Not that the move is without its contretemps-some buttes have to be strategically replaced to shade her cabin from the sun, and the cows that get entangled in her sprouting corn stalks are whisked skyward to wait out the growing season. A thundering gale that scours the open terrain happily produces a giant flying horse that Angel names Dust Devil, who becomes a sidekick that will serve her well as she takes on a band of varmints “too ornery for any self-respecting horse to carry. So they rode mosquitoes.” The aerial battle between the giantess and Backward Bart and his Flying Desperadoes involves some rock-hard biscuits and broken teeth, but order returns to Montana when Angel lures the bad guys into the “single-starred, double-barred, triple-guard jail” in Billings, and the riderless mosquitoes take to drilling holes for geysers. Zelinsky reprises the visual style of Angel’s first adventure, rollicking oil paintings applied to wood veneers. The audience will want to make several return trips to closely inspect the illustrations for subtly incorporated gems-a tiny red dog caught between Angel’s toes, Backward Bart’s signature footwear, Angel knitting a river with a pair of pine trees. Isaacs drops a strong hint that Angel’s antics may have precipitated a gold rush out in California, “but that’s another story.” Let’s hope so. EB - Copyright 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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