Synopsis
An exaggerated account of the life and exploits of the sharp-shooting entertainer.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1997-03-01 | | Illustrator: | Scott Goto |
| Size | | Height: | 11.8 in | | Width: | 9.3 in | | Thickness: | 0.5 in | | Weight: | 15.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
Maybe it's truth, or maybe it's legend. But folks say that there wasn't anything that Annie Oakley couldn't shoot, from the flame on a candle to the center of a playing card. And -- Yee Haw -- she was just warming up for the hard stuff! (Who do you think put the craters on the moon, anyway?) Illustrated with newcomer Scott Goto's bold, expressive illustrations and told with a gusto that would have made Annie herself proud, this inspiring, tongue-in-cheek saga of America's favorite legend pays a spry tribute to the most colorful lady of the wild, wild west.
Industry Reviews
This tall tale about sharpshooter Annie Oakley bounces comfortably between facts and fiction. While it is true that Oakley shot candles out with single bullets and defeated the Grand Duke Michael of Russia in a match, she never shot craters in the moon or the points off a star, as she does in this spirited yarn. Dadey (Dragons Don't Cook Pizza) describes shooting the star with gutsy exaggeration and a down-home lilt: "The explosion was so loud it caused the Snake River to flow backward and it shucked corn in fifteen states." First-time illustrator Goto's Wild West characters match the mood to a bull's-eye. Robotic and carnivalesque, they look as if they've stepped out of the sort of amusement park shooting gallery where a well-aimed shot animates mannequins and starts a player piano. The smiling, bug-eyed animals and hyper-animated faces of Annie and her adopted father Sitting Bull give the far-fetched tale a joyous, larger-than-life feel. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)
Lopate
K-Gr 4 Annie Oakley is the subject of a number of biographies for early readers. This visually arresting story lifts her out of biography and into legend and tall tale. The folksy text and vibrant full-page illustrations, while remaining true to the facts of her life, exaggerate her remarkable skills and create a heroine as confident and brave as Anne Isaacs and Paul Zelinsky's wholly imaginary Swamp Angel (Dutton, 1994). From childhood, Oakley could spit bullets, hunt game, and shoot straight. She got hitched to the famous marksman Frank Butler, traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and won every contest with her unbelievable shooting skills. It took a wagonload of powder, but she even met Sitting Bull's challenge to knock the points off a star and hit the moon (three craters were added), making her the best shot in the whole universe. Still, she never forgot her poor and humble beginnings and, until she died and became a shooting star herself, she helped children in need. Goto's exuberant, energetic, and subtly comical illustrations are perfectly matched to Dadey's rollicking tongue-in-cheek tall tale. The final page contains "The Truth" about the life of this remarkable woman, but there is truth, too, in the legendary quality of Oakley's exploits. A great book for reading aloud or for introducing children to a colorful historic figure. Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Lopate
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