Rating: 4/5
Illustrations: Linda Bronson
"Crookjaw" is an example of a traditional fisherman's folktale. The plot of this story is very exciting and keeps the reader's attention throughout the course of the book. This tale is about Ichabod Paddock, who is living legend when it comes to hunting whales however, he soon meets his match when he falls under the spell of the bewitched Crookjaw. He can only be saved by his wife Smilinda who knows that the only way to kill a witch is with a pure silver. Although Crookjaw was the only whale to ever escape Ichabod's grave skill of hunting, Ichabod was now free from the spell of that lured him into the belly of the whale. This popular folktale originates in New England from a period when witches were thought to inhabit the bellies of whales. I think that this book was very entertaining to read, and I think that this adventurous tale would be very appealing to young minds. I also think that this book can be inspiring to young girls since the heroine in this story was the reason why Ichabod was set free from the witches spell. I think that in the classroom this book can be used as a historical reference when discussing folktales in addition to a discussion of the genre of fantasy. The images that are used in this book are simple yet very exciting and fun. These images remind me of my own attempt at artwork and its inspiring how such a powerful story can come from such simple illustrations. The way the book is written is very upbeat and exciting it also introduces the concept of a literary twist at the end of a story. I didn't expect the woman inside of Crookjaw to be a witch and this element just made the story that much more exciting and suspenseful. The images of this book also remember characters that are of African American origin so this book can also be discussed in a cultural context, and allow students of different races and heritages to make more of a connection to this specific book in comparison to others.
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