Editorial Review

Appropriately, this entry in the Tall Tales series (8 titles) paints a larger-than-life picture of Martha Jane Cannary, aka Calamity Jane, putting fact aside in favor of an engaging story. Pages are composed primarily of text, with the occasional full-page illustration adding some flavor, and Dolbear employs a cheeky, humorous voice reminiscent of the Old West that is sure to draw readers in (‘Why, she was huntin’ on the back of a wild pony before she was toddlin’’). The tall tale covers the span of Jane’s life, after which the book briefly looks ‘Beyond the Story,’ explaining to readers the nature of tall tales and establishing the facts that we do and don’t have about this folktale-esque figure, tempering the entertaining fiction with a touch of historical fact.