Synopses & Reviews
In this humorous twist on a classic tale, Paul Bunyan and his best friend, Babe the Blue Ox, leave life on the farm to work for a logger who pays them with their favorite thing: pancakes! Paul and Babe tromp across the country with the logger, filling valleys with pancake batter (forming the Rocky Mountains) and chasing down pancakes blown away by the wind (creating the Grand Canyon). But when Babe starts to feel sick from eating too many pancakes, the two realize that maybe the farm, with its variety of foods, is really the best place for them after all.
The engaging typography and illustrations, combined with the humorous and lighthearted tone, show kids the importance of eating their veggies without giving heavy-handed lessons. An authorand#8217;s note explains the origins of the Paul Bunyan story.
Praise for Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: The Great Pancake Adventure
"Cheerful gouache illustrations, which appear to be partly influenced by 1920s animated cartoons and contemporary street art, bounce with energy, driving the story forward as their adventures unfold...The inclusion of colorful, hand-lettered text adds emphasis and acts as a balance to the art."
and#151;Kirkus Reviews
"Newcomer Luckhurstand#8217;s manic gouache artwork and hand-lettered typography grab attention in this pancake-themed twist on the Paul Bunyan legend...The sheer voltage of Luckhurstand#8217;s artworkand#151;Robert Neubecker by way of Robert Crumband#151;makes this a notable debut, one whose boisterous display type lends itself to noisy readalouds."
and#151;Publishers Weekly
"Luckhurstand#8217;s gouache-on-paper artwork is bright and bold, and the text works well as a storytime read-aloud. As one would expect, the author takes the exaggerated and hyperbolic aspects of this tale and uses them to great effect."
and#151;School Library Journal
"The cartoonlike, folksy gouache-and-paper illustrations are fitting for the larger-than-life story, and the hand-lettered typeface adds extra oomph."
and#151;Booklist
Awards:
RECOMMENDED - Parents' Choice Award Winner, Picture Books
New York Public Libraryand#8217;s Children's Books 2012: 100 Books for Reading and Sharing list
The Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens - Spring 2013
and#160;
Synopsis
Illus. in full color. Upstarts like Davy Crockett, giants like Paul Bunyan, and gentle souls like Johnny Appleseed are among the nine "tall" heroes featured in this exuberant collection of traditional American folk tales.
Synopsis
Celebrating the 15th anniversary of these collection of tales. There are among nine "tall" heroes featured in this exuberant collection of traditional American folk tales, including Paul Bunyan, JohnnyAppleseed, John Henry, and other American folk heroes.
About the Author
Mary Pope Osborne grew up in the military, and by the time she was fifteen had lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida and four different army posts in Virginia and North Carolina. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the early 1970's, Mary traveled all over Europe, and spent the first six weeks of her trip living in a cave on the island of Crete. She then joined up with a group of European young people and traveled in rickety vans through sixteen Asian countries, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal. She was a bartender, an acting teacher, a waitress, a travel agent, a window dresser, and a medical assistant -- all before becoming an author! Now she is the author of many highly acclaimed picture books, early chapter books, middle-grade biographies, and young adult novels. In February 1993, Mary was elected the 27th president of the Author's Guild, the oldest, most established organization for writers in the United States.
Mary her husband Will spilt their time between an apartment in Greenwich Village, New York and a cabin in Pennsylvania. They own a terrier named Bailey, who sleeps on the top of Mary's desk every day while she writes!
Kids Q&A
Read the Kids' Q&A with Mary Pope Osborne