Bibliographic Data: Isaacs, Anne. 2010. DUST DEVIL. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books ISBN 9780375967221
Plot Summary:
Dust Devil, written by Anne Isaacs and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky is the follow up story to Swamp Angel. It is a hilarious book about a giant girl, Swamp Angel, and the adventures she encounters after her move to Montana from Tennessee. The story follows her chasing down Backwards Bart, the villain and his gang that ride, (you guessed it!) backwards on mosquitoes stealing gold. As the story unfolds we learn, humorously, the real reason there are geysers, buttes, and dust storms in Montana, and about the way the Grand Canyon was created. Our heroine defeats the bad guys and finally makes a companion.
Critical Analysis:
Swamp Angel (Angelica Longrider) is your typical protagonist. She does not quite fit in because of her size and has a hard time making friends or finding a suitable area to live because of it. She is spunky, intelligent, and like every good lead character, ready to fight bad guys!
Backward Bart is the ridiculous antagonist. Due to his face being so ugly, his mother carried him everywhere backwards. This leads to him doing everything from riding his mosquito to speaking in the wrong direction. He domineering and all of his subordinates follow him blindly.
Dust Devil is the fierce sidekick of Swamp Angel. He is strong, brave, and provides invaluable protection when needed.
The plot follows your typical story arch. We meet Swamp Angel sitting on the banks of Montana. She is finding problems in her new home state, as she did in Tennessee due to her size. Along the way Bart comes riding in on his insect with his troupe of bad guys and Swamp Angel takes it upon herself to fight him. We see them tangle from city to city, and eventually Swamp Angel leads them right into trail with a literal trail of stale biscuits (breadcrumbs, anyone?). She is not rewarded by the towns’ people as we typically see in stories such as these, but she is rewarded with a new friend in her horse, Dust Devil.
The setting is well established on the first page of the story. It says, “What you are about to read is a genuine MONTANA STORY”, which easily allows us to understand where the story takes place. The setting is further established through the use of major landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon, The Rocky Mountains and the Saw Tooth Mountains. These areas are all richly and vibrantly illustrated by Zelinsky and paint the story in a rural area. The use of wood grain printed on every page helps the reader gather that we are in a nature setting.
The themes of Dust Devil are many. We have a traditional good versus evil tangle with Swamp Angel battling and defeating the bad guys and Backward Bart. The theme of being different, or just not quite fitting in is apparent. This will be something many children (and adults alike!) can easily and readily identify with. Lastly, Isaacs shows how important friendships, however unlikely, are vital.
The style of the story is humorous and clearly has a western or old-timey feel. The story is a “tall tale” which is evident in not only the sheer size of Swamp Angel, but in the hilarious, hyperbolic, reinvention(s) of the renaissance of many notable landmarks. It is a laid back, easy-going, feel-good story.
The illustrations are very unique. Perspective is absolutely integral in order to impart to a reader the sheer size of Swamp Angel and Dust Devil, and Zelinsky demonstrates this with ease. He shows Swamp Angel next to many objects or places that readers know to be large (a house, a mountain, a bute) and often times draws her outside of the frames he creates on the pages.
The text, simple Times New Roman typeface, is set upon the images as opposed to blocked off her placed on top of a white inset. This allows for text and illustration alike to tell the story.
The main colors are burnt sienna and tan which helps give way to the old west or outdoorsy feel of rural Montana.
This story is interesting for any age group. I, personally, laughed my head off with every turn of the page. The wild scenes Isaacs narrates are equally matched by ridiculous paintings by Zelinsky. Every facet of the book was aesthetically appealing and humorous. I read it twice because I sailed so quickly through it the first time. I am going to buy Swamp Angel today because I loved this story so much.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The strengths of this book are numerous! The illustrations are breathtaking. The characters are easy to relate to despite it being a tall-tale. The reference and change to significant landmarks in the United States adds another layer or dimension to an already rich story. The only weakness I can imagine is that maybe children will not find the landmark jokes humorous, as maybe they are not entirely versed on them yet.
Awards:
• New York Times Notable book of 2010
• Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Winner
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews: “Zelinsky's rustic oil illustrations offer a gallery of comic faces, frozen in exaggerated surprise, shock and frustration. Artfully crude, comedic artwork, friendly, understated narration and a wildly hyperbolic story combine to create a new classic.” ----------------“Singsongy, colloquial narration guides readers from predicament to outlandish predicament with humor and folksy charm.”
NY Times: “Ever since that time,” Isaacs wrote, “Angelica Longrider has been known as Swamp Angel. To this day, stories about Swamp Angel spring up like sunflowers along the wagon trails. And every one of them is true.”
True or not, the book won well-deserved praise, including a Caldecott Honor, for Isaacs’ storytelling and Zelinsky’s witty illustrations, done in an American primitive style on wood veneers.”
Connections:
Plot Summary:
Dust Devil, written by Anne Isaacs and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky is the follow up story to Swamp Angel. It is a hilarious book about a giant girl, Swamp Angel, and the adventures she encounters after her move to Montana from Tennessee. The story follows her chasing down Backwards Bart, the villain and his gang that ride, (you guessed it!) backwards on mosquitoes stealing gold. As the story unfolds we learn, humorously, the real reason there are geysers, buttes, and dust storms in Montana, and about the way the Grand Canyon was created. Our heroine defeats the bad guys and finally makes a companion.
Critical Analysis:
Swamp Angel (Angelica Longrider) is your typical protagonist. She does not quite fit in because of her size and has a hard time making friends or finding a suitable area to live because of it. She is spunky, intelligent, and like every good lead character, ready to fight bad guys!
Backward Bart is the ridiculous antagonist. Due to his face being so ugly, his mother carried him everywhere backwards. This leads to him doing everything from riding his mosquito to speaking in the wrong direction. He domineering and all of his subordinates follow him blindly.
Dust Devil is the fierce sidekick of Swamp Angel. He is strong, brave, and provides invaluable protection when needed.
The plot follows your typical story arch. We meet Swamp Angel sitting on the banks of Montana. She is finding problems in her new home state, as she did in Tennessee due to her size. Along the way Bart comes riding in on his insect with his troupe of bad guys and Swamp Angel takes it upon herself to fight him. We see them tangle from city to city, and eventually Swamp Angel leads them right into trail with a literal trail of stale biscuits (breadcrumbs, anyone?). She is not rewarded by the towns’ people as we typically see in stories such as these, but she is rewarded with a new friend in her horse, Dust Devil.
The setting is well established on the first page of the story. It says, “What you are about to read is a genuine MONTANA STORY”, which easily allows us to understand where the story takes place. The setting is further established through the use of major landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon, The Rocky Mountains and the Saw Tooth Mountains. These areas are all richly and vibrantly illustrated by Zelinsky and paint the story in a rural area. The use of wood grain printed on every page helps the reader gather that we are in a nature setting.
The themes of Dust Devil are many. We have a traditional good versus evil tangle with Swamp Angel battling and defeating the bad guys and Backward Bart. The theme of being different, or just not quite fitting in is apparent. This will be something many children (and adults alike!) can easily and readily identify with. Lastly, Isaacs shows how important friendships, however unlikely, are vital.
The style of the story is humorous and clearly has a western or old-timey feel. The story is a “tall tale” which is evident in not only the sheer size of Swamp Angel, but in the hilarious, hyperbolic, reinvention(s) of the renaissance of many notable landmarks. It is a laid back, easy-going, feel-good story.
The illustrations are very unique. Perspective is absolutely integral in order to impart to a reader the sheer size of Swamp Angel and Dust Devil, and Zelinsky demonstrates this with ease. He shows Swamp Angel next to many objects or places that readers know to be large (a house, a mountain, a bute) and often times draws her outside of the frames he creates on the pages.
The text, simple Times New Roman typeface, is set upon the images as opposed to blocked off her placed on top of a white inset. This allows for text and illustration alike to tell the story.
The main colors are burnt sienna and tan which helps give way to the old west or outdoorsy feel of rural Montana.
This story is interesting for any age group. I, personally, laughed my head off with every turn of the page. The wild scenes Isaacs narrates are equally matched by ridiculous paintings by Zelinsky. Every facet of the book was aesthetically appealing and humorous. I read it twice because I sailed so quickly through it the first time. I am going to buy Swamp Angel today because I loved this story so much.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The strengths of this book are numerous! The illustrations are breathtaking. The characters are easy to relate to despite it being a tall-tale. The reference and change to significant landmarks in the United States adds another layer or dimension to an already rich story. The only weakness I can imagine is that maybe children will not find the landmark jokes humorous, as maybe they are not entirely versed on them yet.
Awards:
• New York Times Notable book of 2010
• Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Winner
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews: “Zelinsky's rustic oil illustrations offer a gallery of comic faces, frozen in exaggerated surprise, shock and frustration. Artfully crude, comedic artwork, friendly, understated narration and a wildly hyperbolic story combine to create a new classic.” ----------------“Singsongy, colloquial narration guides readers from predicament to outlandish predicament with humor and folksy charm.”
NY Times: “Ever since that time,” Isaacs wrote, “Angelica Longrider has been known as Swamp Angel. To this day, stories about Swamp Angel spring up like sunflowers along the wagon trails. And every one of them is true.”
True or not, the book won well-deserved praise, including a Caldecott Honor, for Isaacs’ storytelling and Zelinsky’s witty illustrations, done in an American primitive style on wood veneers.”
Connections:
- Teachers and librarians can easily highlight Isaac's use of elaboration and hyperbole in the story. They could point out all of the areas where this occurs, and encourage the kids to do the same.
- As the story unfolds, it would be interesting for the reader to demonstrate on a map where our characters are traveling. Pointing out the different landmarks addressed by Isaacs would help add another educational element to the story.
- Swamp Angel, the story before Dust Devil is just as tall as a tale, and is a Caldecott winner.