TALL TALES, WHOPPERS AND LIES
(excerpts from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure to obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain)

1) Try this website:
http://www.markbinder.com/sounds
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2) There is a great story in NEW ENGLAND BEAN-POT: AMERICAN FOLK STORIES TO READ AND TELL by M. Jangendorf, the intro is by B.A. Botkin. The story is called The Strange Adventure of the Cowboy-Sailor and it is from Massachusetts. Not only is there a cowboy, Bow Leg Bill, but a giant sea serpent. Bowleg Bill and the sea serpent go off in search of Keziah, a woman of less than honorable repute who is being held hostage by Old Scratch, locked inside the belly of a whale for "the mean things she has done in her day" and "every ten years he comes to play a game of cards with her. The stakes are always her freedome, and she always loses." (of course you find out why after). Okay, probably not for elementary school children but grand for the older crowds I bet. I really love this story, especially since it is from my home state. A great Tall Tale that is on my "to learn" list. Don't you just love the name "Keziah?"

Also, in A Treasury of North American Folktales (1999) by Catherine Peck, there is an entire section on Legendary Heroes and Heroines and another on Tall Tales, Brags and Other Lies. This is one of my favorite books with lots of great tales between the covers.
Book Description
"Like an old, old coin . . . bearing the sweat and palm oil of millions who've handled it, these anonymous stories and yarns, legends and myths, distill the collective experience of mankind." --Charles Johnson, from the Introduction A Treasury of North American Folktales is a celebration of the voices that make up America. Ranging from American Indian love stories to Davy Crockett's account of killing a bear with a knife, from Brer Rabbit's mischief to Johnny Appleseed's good deeds, from hilarious yarns about killer mosquitoes to eerie encounters with the devil, this collection of over 100 tales overflows with the richness of American tradition. This bountiful harvest of folklore contains tales from Alaska's Kodiak Island, the Cajun bayous of Louisiana, the Ozark hill country, the Hispanic Southwest, and much more. Here you will find American Indian tales of how the world was made; tall tales, brags, and lies; legendary heroes, heroines, and villains like Casey Jones and Annie Oakley; mythical characters like Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Pecos Bill; tricks and tricksters; romantic tales; and scary ghost stories. This striking anthology is a book to keep, to linger over, and to read aloud to every generation.

There is also a great story I love to tell called Snake and Frog. It is by Jon Spellman in More Ready-To-Tell Tales from Around the World, the second book by Holt and Mooney. The correct title is The Snake and the Frog. I set this story in my own location, tell it as if it happened to me as a child. I was a tomboy and loved to fish, for catfish, in an old pond near my home. I had one boy come up to me after I told it once and ask if the pond was still there. He wanted to go check it out. There are two more Tall Tale stories in the same book, The Cherry Tree Buck and The Talking Dog.
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3) Tall tales by Richard Martin:
http://www.tellatale.eu/contact.html
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BOOKS OF TALL TALES:

• American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne and Michael McCurdy (illus) (1991 - Ages 4-8)
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-- This strikingly handsome, oversized volume presents nine all-American figures whose overblown exploits take them from coast to coast and through all manner of occupations and preoccupations. Osborne has chosen familiar fictitious characters--Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Febold Feboldson--and actual people, such as Johnny Appleseed and Davy Crockett, and relates episodes that stress the individuals' human weaknesses as well as strengths. She has melded several legendary characters into a single heroine, Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, who more than holds her own in such grand company. The rip-roaring action, broad humor, and colorful language of the convention are all here, but the violence is kept to a minimum and the laughs aren't at anyone's expense, except perhaps the subjects, who feel rather foolish on occasion. McCurdy's intricate wood engravings tinted with watercolor equal their tall task. He sets these larger-than-life folk on majestic landscapes brimming with energy, rich with wildlife and local color. The author's thoughtful introduction and notes round out this superlative offering. It's "the whole steamboat!" --Luann Toth, School Library Journal
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• American Tall Tales by Jim Weiss (2003 - Ages 9-12) (Audio CD)
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• American Tall Tales (Puffin Books) by Adrien Stoutenberg. (1976)
Card catalog description
Features eight American folk heroes: Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Stormalong, Mike Fink, Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, and Joe Magarac.
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• Paul Bunyan 20th Anniversary Edition (Reading Rainbow Book) (1985 - Ages 4-8)
Amazon.com
Do you know how the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River were first formed? How about the Great Plains and the Grand Canyon? Some people think these wonders were established by the forces of nature, but those folks clearly haven't heard of Paul Bunyan, the "strongest, smartest, and tallest hero of the tallest of American tall tales." Paul and his pal, Babe the Blue Ox, were responsible for creating all these geographic features as they worked their way west with their unusual lumber crew. Paul's adventures begin when he is just a baby (who can lift a cow over his head) and continue as he grows into the biggest lumberjack in the world. All the basic stories about Paul Bunyan are here in this rollicking tale, as well as a few inventive incidents added by author and illustrator Steven Kellogg.
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• Paul Bunyan by Carol Ottolenghi. (2004 - Ages 4-8)
Book Description
Paul Bunyan was the largest, smartest baby ever born in the state of Maine! He grew up to be the biggest lumber jack in the world, with his blue ox, Babe by his side, they worked their way west through the North American Forest. Join their journey and see what wonders they created along the way!

Beautifully illustrated, this classic folk tale will capture children’s interest and spark their imagination page after page, encouraging a love of reading that is vital to success in school and life!
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• Moonshine: Recipes * Tall Tales * Drinking Songs * Historical Stuff * Knee-Slappers *How to Make It * How to Drink It * Pleasin' the Law * Recoverin' the Next Day by Matthew Rowley (2007)
From Publishers Weekly
Food historian Rowley wants readers of this home-distillation guide to know something about alcohol and the law: "Without inspection and proper approvals, you are not permitted to make any amount for personal use. Not one drop." That said, Rowley provides clear and well-illustrated instructions for building a still, preparing a mash and distilling alcohol right in your own backyard. It's a complicated process, requiring a fire extinguisher, the skills of a good metalsmith and plenty of patience. For those without the time or skill, however, Rowley includes plenty of appealing recipes for cordials and cocktails that don't require homemade spirits. Fish House Punch, rumored to have left George Washington with a "crippling hangover," is a powerful mix of bourbon, peach brandy, Benedictine and dark rum. Simpler, and similarly all-American, is Cherry Bounce, made with bourbon, honey and a gallon of sweet and sour cherries. But Rowley's mother provides perhaps the best recipe, an easy maceration of fruit and sugar that tastes great over ice cream or on its own. Rounded out with trivia, tall tales and a brief history of bootlegging, a list of home brewing resources and a few warnings for drinkers ("Even for accomplished boozers, moonshine can make off with your dignity before you understand what's happening"), this may be the last book one will ever need on the art of in-house hooch.
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• Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg (illus). (1998 - Ages 4-8)
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.
- Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
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(This web page updated 8/9/03; 5/3/08)