Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett: A Tall Tale

A Tall Tale

by Steven Kellogg

On the day she is born this amazing baby proudly announces she can out-talk, out-grin, out-scream, out-swim, and out-run any baby in Kentucky. Within a few years Sally is off to the frontier, where she stuns a hungry grizzly bear, makes a lasso out of six rattlesnakes, and is more than a match for the mighty Mike Fink. And when Sally Ann rescues Davy Crockett from a pair of ferocious eagles, even her hornet's-nest bonnet and skunk perfume don't stop him from proposing marriage. You won't find Sally Ann in any history book, but that hasn't kept her from becoming an authentic American frontier legend and the unforgettable heroine of Steven Kellogg's most delightfully rip-roaring tall tale.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Folklore, Fantasy, Folk Tales, American History

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Steven Kellogg is an author and illustrator who has contributed over 90 books for children. He is best known for writing books about animals, for which he credits his grandmother .

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett” (What a name!), is a great book from the excellent retelling of Steven Kellogg. Steven Kellogg’s version of America’s best heroine is extremely funny and energetic and will surely grab the attention of both children and adults.

The book is basically about the life and adventures of Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind as it details from her birth as being the first and only girl in her family of nine sons to being one of the best female athletes in the state. Her astonishing talents ranged from causing a grizzly bear to lose its fur when she gave it a bright grin that blinded the bear to eventually meeting up with her future husband Davy Crockett!

Steven Kellogg did an excellent job at retelling and illustrating the exciting adventures of Sally Ann. Sally Ann is a true model for strong women as she battles various obstacles with ease while at the same time trying to be the loving wife and mother to Davy Crockett and her baby son, Hardstone. Sally Ann is also an extremely confident woman as she continues to do the things that she loves to do despite what other people say and that shows that anyone can do anything if they put their heart into it. Steven Kellogg’s illustrations are incredible and funny as he illustrates Sally Ann’s adventures from the wilderness to being a housewife. The images that really show out in the story are the image of Sally Ann flinging the alligators into the blue sky while she is conjuring up a tornado and the image of a grown Sally Ann standing alone in a bear skin while snowflakes are falling around her during the winter.



“Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett” (That name again!) is a spectacular tale about how a strong heroine made a difference in her world by showing everyone that anyone could do the impossible if they believe in themselves. Steven Kellogg’s beautiful and humorous retelling of this strong woman is an instant treat for children ages five and older and will also be intriguing for the adults who enjoy tall tale stories.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moral of this story? Don’t lie and don’t make a woman angry! Good lessons. 😂

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

An American tall tale.

[Cala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious tall tale about Davy Crockett's wife. I read this aloud to my 5 y.o. who was delighted by the silliness. Highly recommend as a "fun" book to add to any American History study.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Tennessee tall tale about the future wife of Davy Crockett who had as many unbelievable exploits as Davy.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a Tall tale book. The exaggeration of how strong and tough Sally Ann was was unrealistic but not in a bad way. This showed how a girl can be the strongest even if she was faced with men. Good book.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the folklore and stories that built and defined the early frontier of the United States. I read this to both my son and daughter and loved the girl power messages that were so prevalent throughout this tall tale treasure.

[Charles Harold · Rating 3 out of 5]

The many tales of the woman who could outpace Davey Crockett, his wife

Its a fine read with some well drawn art, but the ending is rather abrupt, the art can get a bit crowded, and dialogue can seem a bit overly written for who the characters are

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

BL 5.0
0.5pts

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Torn on this one. My little one thought her strength as a baby was HILARIOUS, but it dragged a bit in the middle and the ending was a little lacking.

[Ronda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this tall tale, but have simply not been able to get past the thin storyline as compared to Kellogg's Paul Bunyan.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly outrageous and FUN!

[Richard Joya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if Mike Fink will ever return to Steven Kellogg books?

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea about this folk hero and enjoyed the tall tale!

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT IS THIS

[Laura Hoyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my third graders today for a unit on tall tales and they were rolling on the floor laughing!

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is similar to the other tall tales that Steven Kellogg has written; in tone, it particularly reminds me of his very fun and memorable recounting of the adventures of Mike Fink, who refused to take defeat lying down and became the most legendary wrestler of written record.

Sally Ann Thunder Whirlwind Crockett started her life off in spectacular fashion from day one, outracing and outtalking and outdoing everyone else who could possibly compare. At age eight she began to travel the nation in search of adventure, and her wild folklore stories proceeded to weave themselves into the fabric of American storytelling in unforgettable fashion.

The artistic and storytelling abilities of Steven Kellogg are both low-key, but I've always had a fondness for them ever since he visited my elementary school to speak to us at an assembly. He put a lot of hard work into becoming a published author, and it shows in the end product.

I would probably give one and a half stars to Sally Ann Thunder Whirlwind Crockett.

[Caitlin Barclay]

Steven Kellogg is a great writer!This is considered a retelling of something that really happened. The illustrations and language are very descriptive which allows a teacher to show students how to retell a story. The book is not entirely true, as you will find out, Sally probably didn't kill a bear with her two hands, but it is hilarious and probably better than the real thing. Again this retelling is the perfect example for teaching students how to rewrite true events while putting a spin on it!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a baby that could speak, run, climb mountains, swim and catch fish from the day she was born. She decided that living at home with her family was not exciting enough so she went to live in the woods and there she rescues Davy Crocket and they get married. This is a good read aloud with practice to any age student; it is a great book about a tall tail. The illustrations are great and fit the text perfectly.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful addition to Steven Kellogg's lexicon of tall tales. Sally Ann thunder Ann Whirlwind is a tall enough tale but she meets and marries Davy Crockett. Kellogg read many stories from the Davy Crockett Almanac, which was wildly popular with 19th-century readers. It's a very fun book for parents to read to their children.

[Sarah M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a tall tale about the wife of Davy Crockett. The story starts with her as a baby and continues on into adulthood. It tells of how she met Davy Crockett and how they fell in love. They have a child and the book ends with showing Sally's strength by throwing a man in the air. This book is targeted towards kindergarten to second grade.

[Miss Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Fun, vibrant, rollicking retelling of an American Tall Tale about Mrs. Crockett herself!

(And her bald eagles stay with them!)

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with the tall tales surrounding Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett, so I thought this story and the illustrations were charming! Among other things, I liked the parts where she won the Annual State Fair Marathon at the age of one, and later courted Davy Crockett.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I shared this one with my students because we've been looking at tall tales. We read Steven Kellogg's Paul Bunyan and this is a great companion to that. It has the fun illustrations that we love from this author, and more great examples of the exaggeration of this genre.

[Amanda Neyens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally Ann is just such an independent and strong character! It was awesome to see such a strong female character in a children’s book. I could see this being a really empowering book to hear as a child.

[Cws]

JE-Coh

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tall tale I was unfamiliar with, from one of my favorite author/illustrators. I loved the story!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, star-spangle my banner!

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one liberated gal who's got it all - the home, the husband, the adorable baby, AND her gator-wrasslin' career!

You go, girl!