Paul Bunyan's Sweetheart (Myths, Legends, Fairy and Folktales)
Grade 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'sThe Bunyans(Scholastic, 1996) and a modern ecological message. Pair it with Anne Isaacs'sPancakes for Supper(Scholastic, 2006) for a delicious celebration of new treatments of old favorites.—Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, MECopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.