American Tall Tales

In the big, big woods lived a giant man named Paul Bunyan. He was very tall. Paul had a best friend, a big blue ox named Babe. Babe was so blue, like the summer sky. They lived where the trees grew tall, tall, tall. Long ago, people would work hard all day. At night, they sat by a warm, crackling fire and told amazing stories. This is the story of their special tales, called the American Tall Tales.

The stories were as big as the sky. They said Paul Bunyan was so tall he used a pine tree for a comb. A whole tree was his comb. When he walked, stomp, stomp, stomp, his big boots made giant holes. The holes filled with water and became the Great Lakes. Splash. And Babe the Blue Ox was so strong. So very strong. He could pull a wiggly river and make it straight. There were other stories, too, about a cowboy who could ride the wind and a kind man who planted yummy apple trees for everyone to eat.

These stories were fun and made people feel brave. They made people feel strong. Working all day was hard, but the tall tales made everyone laugh. Giggle, giggle, laugh. The stories showed that anyone could do big things. You could be strong like a giant. You could be clever like a cowboy. You could be kind and plant yummy trees for the future.

People still love to tell these stories today. You might see Paul Bunyan and his big friend Babe in a picture book. These American Tall Tales help us use our big imaginations. We can tell silly stories that make our friends giggle. We can dream big, big dreams, as big as the great blue sky. What big story will you tell?