Review: Tall edited by Donnie Lemke

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

Four larger-than-life American folktales come alive in this collection of comics from award-winning creators and rising stars! The tall tales include Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry, and Johnny Appleseed.

MY TAKE:

Since I didn't grow up in the United States, I'm not familiar with the stories in this book. I mean, I've heard of them, especially John Henry and Johnny Appleseed, but except for Johnny Appleseed, I didn't really know much about their stories. This book was a great way to familiarize myself with the stories of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry and Johnny Appleseed.

Since I wasn't familiar with the story before reading the book, I'm not sure how faithful they were to the original story. At the end of the story, though, there are some factoids about or related to the legend, to elaborate the story, so I think the stories are as accurate as they can get. :P

Each story was illustrated by a different person. My favorite style was the one for John Bunyan, since it seems more light-hearted. :) My favorite story, though, was the one about Johnny Appleseed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stone Arch Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Tall will be on February 1, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a great way to educate kids about these folk tales.
2. The facts at the end of the story inject some history/facts into the legend so that kids can understand the story behind the folk tales.
3. The different drawing styles keeps the stories from appearing to be continuous.

THE BAD:

1. Illustrations and the coloring are nice but the color seems to be a bit faded.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

READ IT IF:

1. You or your kids are not familiar with these folk tales.
2. You want to revisit these stories, but don't want to read a boring book.
3. You like comic books.

RATING:

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