Review of "Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe" by Dell McCormick

 Review of

Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe by Dell McCormick 

Four out of five stars

The tallest of the tall tales

There are many tall tales in American folklore, but the tallest is that of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox. Of all the versions of the tale of Bunyan, this is likely that tallest of the group. In it, you “learn” the origin of the St. Lawrence seaway, the thousand island group in the seaway and the Grand Canyon. Other wild stories are a fog so thick the fish swim in it, getting so cold that spoken words are frozen and need to be thawed before heard and griddle cakes so large that it took five men to eat one.
Liars contests have been a staple in local bars and lodges for a long time. It is hard to see how even the best of the participants could top these whoppers about the legendary lumberjack and his massive pet. I read this book for the first time when I was in elementary school and enjoyed it so much that I read it several times. Even more important, it prompted me to investigate how the legend of Paul Bunyan came about.