This list of tall tales is mostly American, but I did find a few from Australia, Europe, and Canada.
Unfortunately, not all of these heroes have their stories available in-print. Check your public library for out of print editions, or browse used book stores.
The Mary Pope Osborne book American Tall Tales is one of my highly- recommended tall tale read-alouds. It includes several of the tall tale heroes on the list below. The stories are short enough to read aloud in about 15 minutes. I especially love the colloquialisms, the familiar storyteller narration, and the exaggerations!
If you are an aspiring children’s book author, we really need some new tall tale picture books! The majority of the picture books – even for well-known tall tale heroes like Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed – are older titles that are either out-of-print or available only in e-book or paperback.
I think we’d all agree that $569.83 is a bit pricey for a library hardcover of a Johnny Appleseed book.
American tall tales are a curriculum requirement for any school in the US that uses Common Core, TEKS, or the Virginia SOLs. That covers the vast majority of US public schools. So let’s get some new tall tales out there, authors and publishers! Maybe my “Watson the Friendly Giant” story from third grade is worth a second look…
(all of the below images are Amazon Affiliate links)
LIST OF TALL TALES BY HERO NAME (ALL ARE USA)
- Paul Bunyan
- Johnny Appleseed
- Davy Crockett
- Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett
- John Henry
- Annie Oakley
- Pecos Bill
- Slue-Foot Sue
- Daniel Boone
- Kissimmee Pete
- Calamity Jane
- Molly Pitcher
- Blackbeard
- Casey Jones
- Captain Stormalong
- Big Sam
- Johnny Kaw
- Prickly Rose
- Captain Martin Van Buren Bates
- Mike Fink
(all of the below images are Amazon Affiliate links)
I know little of tall tales outside the USA – only Sam McGee and Baron Munchausen are familiar to me. Many tall tales seem to be mixed up with fairytales and folklore, which are not exactly the same thing. If you know some non-USA tall tales that should be on this list, please email me at leigh[at]readerpants[dot]net or send me a message on the MrsReaderPants FaceBook page.
LIST OF TALL TALES BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Canadian Tall Tale Heroes
- Big Joe Mufferaw
- Sam McGee
- Johnny Chinook
Australian Tall Tale Heroes
- Rodney Ansell
- Big Bill
- Crooked Mick
European Tall Tale Heroes
- Toell the Great (Estonia)
- The Irish Rover (Ireland)
- Baron Munchausen (Germany)
Modern Tall Tale Heroes
- Gravity (check out The Legend of Gravity by Charly Palmer)
- Library Lil
- Dona Flor
- Pancho Bandito
MORE ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES:
DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL!
I’ve got six tall tales lessons already created for you! Each of these includes a two-part library lesson, printable scavenger hunt activity, Recommended Reads list, and a pre-filled, editable lesson plan template aligned with TEKS, CCSS, and AASL standards.
