DUST DEVIL

1.  Bibilography

Isaacs, Anne. 2010. Dust Devil. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 0375867224

2.  Plot Summary

Dust Devil is a companion book of the Caldecott Honor Book Swamp Angel.  It is the folktale of how Angelica Longrider (Swamp Angel) had grown so big she needed to move to Montana, and how she met her horse Dust Devil and was the champion over the outlaw Backward Bart.  Throughout the story, the legend is told of how Angel moved mountains to suit her fancy, tamed her giant dust storm horse, and carved the Grand Canyon with her feet as she rode him. When Backward Bart and his Flying Desperados fly into town on giant Montana-sized mosquitoes, Angel is willing and ready to hunt them down and save the day. 

3.  Critical Analysis

Swamp Angel is a strong, larger-than-life female protagonist in Dust Devil, but boys and girls alike will enjoy this folktale by Anne Isaacs.  The writing is clever and witty, and children are sure to be fascinated by the legends of Swamp Angel and “her” Montana.  Backward Bart with his backward talking, backward boot-wearing, and backward mosquito flying makes for a hilarious villain.  The paintings by Paul O. Zelinsky which illustrate Dust Devil have a primitive wooden backdrop and add to the humor and depth of Isaac’s storytelling.  The close-up view of Backward Bart and his Desperados “splashing happily in wormy oatmeal and rotten eggs” in the pigs’ trough is especially (albeit disgustingly) clever.  Even the nose hairs of Backward Bart can be seen as he face plants into the filth.  The story has a lot of words and may be difficult for younger readers to sit through, but older readers will appreciate this traditional tale.

4.  Review Excerpt(s)

School Library Journal review: “A stunning tour de force and a satisfying continuation of Angel's saga.”

Booklist review: “Once again, Isaacs’ story and Zelinsky’s oil-paint-on-wood artwork create a laugh-out-loud tall tale with folksy phrasing and slapstick exaggeration. There are really two adventures in one here, which makes for a lengthy read-aloud, but children will delight in the deadpan, Old West narration and every gleefully silly, expertly rendered visual detail, from Bart’s steed (a saloon-sized mosquito) to Angel’s full-branched pine-tree knitting needles.”

5.  Connections

*Since this book is a sequel, Swamp Angel would be a great book to read if children want to know Angel’s back story.  Reading Dust Devil first would be a great way to stir interest in more of Isaac’s books.

*Talk to teachers about using Dust Devil as a launch pad for a math lesson.  Students could practice making estimates on Angel’s height, shoe size, etc.