Recounts the exploits of Paul Bunyan’s “little” sister, Paula, who lived in the North Woods, sang three-part harmony with the wolves, and used an angry bear for a foot warmer.
Paula Bunyan
United States
Materials from United States of America
Wish Riders
Fifteen-year-old Dusty, a ward of the state, is forced to work in a logging camp during the Depression. Despite the bleakness of her life, spirited Dusty dreams of escape.
The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow
A superstitious schoolmaster, in love with a wealthy farmer’s daughter, has a terrifying encounter with a headless horseman.
Old Dry Frye
A humorous retelling of an Appalachian folktale about a preacher who chokes on a chicken bone.
Bruh Rabbit And The Tar Baby Girl
In this retelling, using Gullah speech, of a familiar story the wily Brer Rabbit outwits Brer Fox who has set out to trap him.
Comes A Wind
While visiting their mother’s ranch, two brothers who constantly try to best each other swap tall tales about big winds and are surprised by the fiercest wind they have ever seen.
Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom
Recounts the journey of Black slaves to freedom via the underground railroad, an extended group of people who helped fugitive slaves in many ways.
Jack Outwits The Giants
In this Appalachian folktale, Jack outwits two giants who want fresh meat for breakfast.
Jean Laffite and the Big Ol’ Whale
When a huge white whale gets stuck between the banks of the Mississippi River causing the water to stop flowing, Jean Laffite finds a way to get the river moving again.
Witcracks
Traces the history and gives examples of puns, shaggy-dog stories, and other jokes from American humor of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.