Early Book Review: Tall: Great American Folktales

Tall: Great American Folktales, edited by Donnie Lemke is a children's graphic novel retelling some favorite American tall tales. It is set for release on February 1 2012. The tales of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry, and Johnny Appleseed come to life on the pages of this volume, entertaining and teaching the next generation classic stories of early America. The authors involved in the project include Martin Powell (Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed), Sean Tulien (Pecos Bill), and Stephanie Peters (John Henry). The artists are Aaron Blecha (Paul Bunyan), Lisa K. Weber (Pecos Bill), Nelson Evergreen (John Henry), and Michelle Lomoreaux (Johnny Appleseed).

Tall: Great American Folktales is a great introduction to classic American folklore. Each of the stories has a different feel because of the different authors and artists, but they share a feel of Americana. I recommend this graphic novel collection volume to children around eight and older. The stories truly are tall tales, complete with over the top tales of how the Grand Canyon, Rio Grand, and other distinct landmarks of the nation came to exist. The book left me happy, entertained, and feeling nostalgic. While I am not sure as to how much each of the tales varies from the traditional versions, because it has been years since I have read any of them, but they certainly were entertaining, tall tales.