Paula Bunyan

By Phyllis Root

Bounding with oversize visual and verbal humor, here is the previously untold story of Paul Bunyan's "little" sister, who was as tall as a pine tree, as strong as a dozen moose, and could run so fast that she once ran all the way back to yesterday. As she heads to the North Woods in search of freedom and adventure, Paula uses her brains and brawn to surmount every challenge that comes her way, proving to ferocious animals that she's their friend and becoming protector of a wild wonderland. Antic-filled artwork by Kevin O'Malley accompanies Phyllis Root's text, a great read-aloud with a welcome eco-friendly twist at the end.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374357595
• ISBN13: 9780374357597
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.1" x 12.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Good Girl Power!

My 2 and 4 year old grand daughters love this book.They are amazed at the size of the mosquitos and the growling back at the bear! I think it is excellent to have Paul Bunyan have a sister who is as brave as the boys!

This is a tall tale, set in graphic novel form, with an important message to impart to its young rea

Paula Bunyan was Paul Bunyan's baby sister. Of course everyone knows about Paul, his sidekick the blue ox, and perhaps the fact there is a statue that was erected to him in Bangor, Maine. Of course that fact isn't in this book, but everyone who is anyone knows about the statue, but very few people know about Paula. She might have been his little sister, but she was a force to be reckoned with. She could outdo her brother in just about anything because she was "as tall as a pine tree and as strong as a dozen moose." She had one annoying quality and that was her singing voice. She had a knack for breaking glass and the sound of it could even make "stone walls crack." That was some kind of woman! She was stronger than an ox and could do things like carry the ferry across the river, but she yearned for a place in the wilderness where she could trill and tweet without breaking something. Her ma packed her up a "little snack" that was big enough to feed an army. She included "twenty gallons of cider" to wash it all down. Paula headed off in search of the North Woods where her dreams might come true. Well, not quite because her voice still started a "moose stampede" and knocked "eagles out of their nests for miles around." She made friends with a bear, sang with the wolves and was in her element up there in the North Woods (except for the mosquitoes). One day, when she was roaming the territory, she came to the edge of the woods. The trees had been logged for as far as she could see! What could she do to stop this foolishness? This is a tall tale, set in graphic novel form, with an important message to impart to its young readership. This was a take off on the classic tall tale of Paul Bunyan, a legendary American woodsman. Paula was a loveable, huggable character who reminded me a bit of Elly Mae Clampett. The artwork had a vintage aura about it and the pages even appeared to have foxing on them, giving the tale an authentic aged look. The tale was amusing and stretched the truth as far as it would go, but when Paula found the destruction of the North Woods it took on a more serious note. I enjoyed the tale and if you are into tall tales, folklore and legends, you might want to add this one to your list!