Dust Devil by Anne Isaacs

 

Bibliography:

Isaacs, Anne. 2010. Dust Devil. Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. 9780375867224

 

Plot Summary:

Angelica Longrider, or Swamp Angel, grew too big (and tall!) to live in the state of Tennessee so she was forced to move west to the state of Montana. Once in Montana Angel began ‘adjusting’ the state to suit her large needs including “plucking mountains” from other areas and “planting” those mountains behind her house to bring about shade. As Angel makes herself at home in Montana she quickly realizes the need for a horse to suit her large size. Out of nowhere the worst dust storm the state had seen arrived at Angel’s ranch causing mayhem to all of the innocent people in the area. When the dust storm reaches Angel’s house she thinks she hears hooves and decides to investigate. To Angel’s surprise there is a powerful horse inside of the dust storm that she decides to tame and call Dust Devil. Finding Dust Devil was the best thing that ever happened to Angel and Montana since the mean and nasty Backward Bart and his Flying Desperadoes were busting through Montana trying to rob and frighten everyone they came across. Angel and Dust Devil decided it was up to them to save Montana from ugly ole Backward Bart and that is just what they did!

Critical Analysis:

From the author (Anne Isaacs) and illustrator (Paul O. Zelinsky) of Swamp Angel, a 1994 Caldecott Honor book, comes another tall tale about Angelica “Swamp Angel” Longrider. Zelinsky’s beautiful oil on wood (veneer) illustrations offer amazing brush strokes with soft subtle lines and lots of fun details.  The details, for instance, can be seen quite well on the mosquitoes which show little hairs on their bodies and antennae.

The illustrations are not the only part of the book worth mentioning as the story itself is wonderful. The text is written in such a way that saying the words without a southern twang would be nearly impossible; it would not be as fun either. This is yet another story which begs to be read aloud. The setting of Dust Devil takes place in the beautiful state of Montana during pioneer times. This tall tale explains how buttes came about as well as, geysers and more. Want to know how gold ended up in the rivers of California? Swamp Angel will tell you the answer to that one – here’s a hint: you can thank Backward Bart and the Desperadoes!

This title is recommended for children ages 5 and up.

Review Excerpt(s):

• Kirkus Reviews (2010): Given a Kirkus Star (for remarkable merit) "Artfully crude, comedic artwork, friendly, understated narration and a wildly hyperbolic story combine to create a new classic."
• School Library Journal (2010) "Review of the Day" states this title is "an honest-to-goodness new tall tale with a vernacular smart enough to match the pictures, and vice versa."

Connections:

•  Pair this title with other tall tale favorites such as:
            Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd
            Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
            Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer
• Create a posterboard prop for the state of Montana by printing or drawing the state's shape on the board. Be sure to include the state capital (to point out to the children). You can make it even more exciting by adding pictures of the state bird, bug and flower.
• Create a flannelboard activity! Make felt props or print out and laminate prop cards (glue felt to the back) and use the props to recreate the story. Need prop ideas? Make simple props that would be easy to identify such as: Swamp Angel, Dust Devil, mosquitoes, biscuits, a tornado, lightning bolts, buttes, a sheriff's star and whatever else you think would help retell the story.