Mike Fink

From Publishers Weekly Kellogg splashes his customary exuberance across this latest tall tale in the series that includes Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. Beginning with the infant Mike running off to join a troupe of acrobatic frogs, the story plays up the childhood exploits of the boy who was to become the King of the Mississippi River Keelboatmen. Dragged back to his family, the "sturdy and quick" Mike takes the place of their deceased ox when plowing. Later, "wrestling with the grizzlies" hones his physical prowess and prepares him for the rowdy river life. The intrepid hero eventually triumphs over a steam-driven paddle boat in a no-holds-barred, John Henry-like battle. Kellogg's antic style is as engaging as ever, from the charmingly frog-faced hero to the drama and detail crammed into every illustration. Though this is a cleaned-up version of Mike Fink's part-real, part-legend life, it provides a merry introduction to a mythic 19th-century American figure. All ages. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 4-- Kellogg retells some of the many legends about the rough and tumble keelboatman's younger days. He captures the energy and largeness of this tall-tale hero through the use of vernacular speech and in illustrations that can never quite contain the action within their borders. This version steers away from the negative stereotyping of women and American Indians that crop up in older tellings. Another hit in a series that does a wonderful job of introducing young children to America's folklore heroes.