View

• Clifford - "Jetta's Tall Tale"
  Jetta feels a twinge of jealousy when the other children make a fuss over Emily Elizabeth's wonderful big pet Clifford, so she blurts out a story about her own wonderful big pet - a huge parrot named Lulu. Her little lie quickly grows into a big mess, forcing Jetta to dress Clifford up as a bird to try to keep the lie from being exposed. Her conscience finally makes her do the right thing and she apologizes for having created the lie in the first place.
• Reading Rainbow - "Paul Bunyan"
  This book recounts the life of the extraordinary lumberjack whose unusual size and strength brought him many fantastic adventures. LeVar joins Smokey Bear for a trip to Maine, the legendary birthplace of Paul Bunyan, where he goes to forest firefighter training. A visit to a reforestation area shows how little seeds become big trees and LeVar learns how planting and caring for trees is important to all of us.

Do in Class

• Mark Twain: Tall Tales and Dark Sides: Part A - Complete part A of this lesson by weaving six items from your classroom into a tall tale. (Advanced Activity)
• Postcards from Buster: Tales of a Swamp Monster - Tell a story about a swamp monster and draw a picture of the monster. Compare and contrast life on the Bayou with your own life.
• Reading Rainbow: Paul Bunyan - Use this follow-up activity to the episode on Paul Bunyan.

Read

• An Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories: More Than 40 of the World's Best -Loved Stories for Parent and Child to Share
  By Susan Kantor
  Published January 2004 by Black Dog & Leventhal Pub
  Kantor's packs her rich anthology with myths, fables, folktales, songs, and tall tales suitable for readers of all ages. Nonfiction and short stories by contemporary African-American authors like Walter Dean Myers are also included in the book's 400+ pages.
• McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales
  By Patricia C. McKissack, Dena Schutzer
  Published September 1997 by Turtleback
  After a young boy listens intently to his father's telling a tall tale, he invents an even taller one of his own.

*As most PBS children's programs offer one year extended taping rights for teachers, please feel free to tape them now and save them for use in your classroom during the school year.