Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale - Hardcover

K-Gr 2-This folk hero is larger-than-life in every sense of the word. In an effort to find a farm big enough for their boy, who seems to "gain a pound every hour," the Kaw family heads westward. After crossing the Missouri River into what will become Kansas, the Kaws feel that they have found a home. In true tall-tale fashion, Johnny then clears the land by hand and thus creates the Rocky Mountains; stands up to and tames a cyclone with his scythe; and, with a single breath, plants "miles and miles" of wheat. Prairie life is sweet for the devoted family, but the passing of time brings the inevitable passing of Johnny's beloved mother. The story ends on a positive note, however, with Johnny acknowledging that her strong spirit will always be with him. The book is written in rhythmic prose that lends itself to read-alouds as well as independent reading. Sneed's full-color illustrations in his exaggerated style serve the tale well and showcase not only the humor but also its tenderness. The story should have broad appeal in the Sunflower State, but readers in the rest of the country will also enjoy getting acquainted with this gentle giant.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Johnny Kaw, a Kansas “folk” hero (invented in the 1950s), gets his own tall tale here. Barefoot, flaxen haired, and growing up higher than the rolling hills in illustrator Sneed’s sinuous watercolors, Johnny clears fields (thus forming the Rocky Mountains) and seeds them all with one spit, slices the top from an enormous twister with his scythe, and finally, in a not particularly ecofriendly act, creates the great American prairie by ripping out all the trees—so that the sunset will always be visible from his beloved mother’s grave. Scillian relates these and other feats in rollicking verse: “He was born on a night when a stormy wind blew; / Five minutes old, already six feet two.” Observant readers may note a reference to a “white” porch swing that is a different color in the art, and they will search in vain for either a clear ending to Kaw’s epic tale or, for that matter, a source note. No matter: as a personification of our once-expansive American spirit, Kaw strides through the American landscape like Jerdine Nolen’s Big Jabe (2000), Anne Isaacs’ Swamp Angel (1994), and the rest of Paul Bunyan’s outsize progeny. Grades 1-3. --John Peters