Synopsis
Paul Bunyan has a BIG problem. He's in love but the lady who has caught his eye will have nothing to do with him. What's a giant lumberjack to do? When Paul Bunyan meets pretty Lucette, he knows she's the gal for him. After all, she's so tall she can't fit into an ordinary cabin. She can churn butter into a thick creamy river, and when she cleans house she can twirl up a tornado! Why, it's a match made in heaven! But to win Lucette's heart, Paul must prove his worth in a love test. Acclaimed storyteller Marybeth Lorbiecki brings together history and legend for a rollicking American tall tale. Enchanting artwork tenderly gives life to the BIGGEST love story the north woods region has ever seen.Marybeth Lorbiecki has written more than 20 award-winning books, including the acclaimed Jackie's Bat and Sister Anne's Hands (IRA Best Books of the Year 1999). History and conservation are favorite themes in her work. Marybeth lives in Hudson, Wisconsin. Renée Graef is well known as the illustrator for the "Kirsten" books in the American Girl children's book series, and has also illustrated many My First Little House books. Renée's other work with Sleeping Bear Press includes B is for Bookworm: A Library Alphabet. Renée lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.Editorials
School Library Journal
Gr 1-4
Lorbiecki and Graef bring their talents to the not-so-small task of creating an original story about Bunyan-his courtship of Lucette Diana Kensack of Hackensack, MN, a woman strong, brave, and clever enough for any tall-tale hero. The prose is just right for the genre: "When summer heat hung down like boiling syrup, the townsfolk would ask Lucette to shake out her rugs. If she'd do it gentle like, her breezes would cool the sweat off their bodies so quick they'd have to hold on to their clothes to keep them on." The paintings extend the story's humorous images, while firmly placing the action in a mythical time. This picture book has the verve of Audrey Wood's The Bunyans (Scholastic, 1996) and a modern ecological message. Pair it with Anne Isaacs's Pancakes for Supper (Scholastic, 2006) for a delicious celebration of new treatments of old favorites.
—Kathleen WhalinCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.