Visual Analysis

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A 1995 Caldecott

Honor Book

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A tall tale about a Tennessee woods woman who was brave enough and strong enough to conquer Thundering Tarnation, a menacing bear that terrorized a small rural village during the mid 1800s.

Technical Perspective

Swamp Angel is at the base of the hill yet she still towers over the men. The squirrel is small enough to fit into the

palm of her hand. Dogs and birds are often included nearby to show Swamp Angel’s extreme height.

Cultural Perspective

Swamp Angel’s casual dress, straw bonnet, and hand bag

slung across her shoulder reveal the rural setting.

She is not dressed like a city girl. She is

often muddy from the outdoors. The

coonskin caps emphasize the

Tennessee backwoods

setting.

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The color scheme utilizes earth tones rather than a bright and vibrant palette. These colors found in nature reflect the natural setting and subtly

hint at the time period. Nineteenth century imagery would not utilize bright colors. The antique varnish is evident when looking at the clouds,

which are a warm yellow tint instead of a pure and crisp white.

Each page is bordered by a wood background, which gives the feel that

you are deep inside a forest nested in a wooded region of

Tennessee.

Technical Perspective

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Technical Perspective

The Rule of Thirds is employed in this illustration. As she is knitting and putting out a fire, Swamp Angel is placed at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines. The stream leads the viewer’s eye from the lower left to the upper right. As the eye travels across the page, it sees Swamp Angel engaging in various activities.

“Locked in a bear hug, Swamp Angel and Thundering Tarnation wrestled across the

hills of Tennessee. They stirred up so much dust that those hills are still called the Great

Smoky Mountains.”

Historical Perspective

Swamp Angel broke stereotypes during a

period when women did not yet vote, many didn’t attend college and most stayed home to take care of their families. Angel “was second to none in

buckskin bravery, performing eye-popping wonders in the bogs and

backwoods of Tennessee.” She was

unlike any other woman.

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“This is the story of a community of animals that lived in one such tree in

the rainforest.”

The Great Kapok Tree is a lesson about the rainforest and its

inhabitants, and a story that sends the message to young children to do what is right for the greater good of

society.

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Technical Perspective

The rainforest is a lush and tropical place full of colorful flora and fauna.

The color scheme is predominantly green with bursts of vibrant colors.

The intruder is intentionally a bright

color because he does not blend into the

environment. The native species are camouflaged.

Technical Perspective

The snakes are looking down on the man who is intruding upon their home. The upward angle of the picture gives the snakes a sense of power because they are in their own territory. When the

insects come to speak to the man, a downward angle is used, making it clear that he is sleeping on the ground and looking

upward toward the animals that are looking down at him. He is visible by all of the different critters. He is in a vulnerable place.

looking down

upward angle

Ethical Perspective

The philosophy of utilitarianism is the belief that the one should strive to attain the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

The anteater delivers this exact message.

The close proximity between the man and the animals creates an intimacy that emphasizes the importance of this message.

“The big man tells you to chop down a beautiful

tree. He does not think of his own children, who tomorrow must live in a world without

trees.” –

Anteater

The Golden Rule states: One should treat others as one would like others

to treat oneself.

Ethical Perspective

“The roots of these great trees will wither and die, and there will be nothing left to hold the earth in

place. When the heavy rains come, the soil will be washed away and the

forest will become a desert.” -Monkey

“You will leave many of us homeless” –

Tree frog

“Senhor, this tree is a tree of miracles. It is my home, where generations of my

ancestors have lived. Don’t chop it down.”–Boa Constrictor

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The End