Skookum Sal, Birling Gal

For ages 4-8. Skookum Sal comes from a long line of log birlers. Her brother, Skookum Sam, is a log birler. Her daddy is a log birler, as was his daddy and his daddy before him. So it's only fitting that when Sal turned 11 years old she thought she would become a log birler too. First Sal has to convince her daddy to teach her how to be log birler -- because Sal is a girl, and she's only 11, and she's only five feet tall. A little at a time, she shows her daddy she has muscle power, balance and craft, all necessary qualities for a champion birler. After some hard-learned lessons, lots of practice and some help from her daddy, her brother Sam and her sparring partner Flora, Sal learns the craft well. But is she good enough to beat a big, burly logger with size 13 boots at the Lands End logging sports day? This charming story for children aged five to nine follows the tall-tale tradition of such larger-than-life legends as Paul Bunyan. Whimsical colour illustrations transport the reader into the big woods, the frog pond where Sal learns to birl and the sports day fairgrounds full of boom men and bull cooks. This story delights as it demonstrates that children can achieve their dreams -- with lots of hard work and help from friend and family.