Review by Booklist Review
There are some appealing moments in author-illustrator Palazzo's collection of animal-centered American folktales. A pancake-gobbling spree by Benny the Ox (the son of Paul Bunyan's Babe) strikes just the right note of nonsense and humor. It took seventy-eight men just to keep him fed, reports the text, and the accompanying illustration shows cowboys balancing teetering stacks of pancakes. Overall, however, these retellings tend to be flat and generic. Pecos Bill was a cowboy, begins one matter-of-factly in a place where superlatives could have helped the story shine. In addition, the portrayal of the Native American scout, the main character in The Fish out of Water, borders on stereotype. A Caldecott Honor winner in 1947, Palazzo's oversize, lighthearted illustrations go a long way toward making up for the lackluster text, and the depictions of cowboys and landscapes further evoke the excitement of the Wild West and other American regions. Despite the dry, encyclopedic writing, the book has enough substance to keep kids interested, and afterward they may want to move on to Steven Kellogg's picture books about American folk heroes.--Aronin, Miriam Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
The fourteen tales in this book have been adapted from versions published in the early part of the twentieth century. Subjects include Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, the Tar Man, and Sweet Betsy from Pike. The retellings are cursory, with the results being a little flat. Palazzo's pastoral sketchlike illustrations recommend the volume. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
