The Bunyans is an extension to the traditional American tall tale, Paul Bunyan. This tall tale is not only about Paul Bunyan but, includes stories about his wife and two children. In this story Paul and his family impact the land just as he did himself when he cleared the land for settlers. This tall tale gives many explanations for what many think to be natural land formations. For example, one may think that geysers were naturally formed but, according to this story the geysers in Wyoming were formed when mama Bunyan used her pickax to make huge holes in the earth so that the warm water that rose could be used to clean dishes and provide warm water. The Bunyan’s lifestyle continually impacts the land throughout this story and goes on to explain how and why Niagara Falls, the Rockies, and many other formations were created. I would use this book to provide examples of great American tall tales. This book is a great representation of a tall tale because the teacher can easily reveal how unreasonable it is for a giant family to exist and create huge land formations such as Bryce Canyon.
