Review of PORCH LIES: TALES OF SLICKSTERS, TRICKSTERS AND OTHER WILY CHARACTERS

Bibliography

McKissack, Patricia M. 2006. Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and other Wily Characters. Ill. by Andre Carrilho. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 037593619X.

Plot Summary

McKissack has crafted a collection of tales distilled from the stories heard on her grandparent’s front porch. Filled with original characters, McKissack gives voice to the storytellers of her youth through her fictional tales. Each of the nine stories is dedicated to a friend or family member and credited to a particular “porch liar” from her youth. According to the Author’s Note opening the volume of tales, the intention of these stories is to teach a value, encourage critical thinking, or offer pure entertainment. Beginning with a “confidencer” named Pete Bruce using flattery to con a baker-woman out of a coconut cream pie, and including a elderly aunt using the infamous James' brothers to save her land, these Porch Lies fulfill the desired intent.

Critical Analysis

McKissack opens her anthology with a disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Yet, the tall tales ring with authenticity. As she introduces each storyteller, they appear in the porch swing and their voices spill from the pages. The reader is immediately drawn into the story as the words paint pictures in the mind. Sparsely illustrated by Andre Carrilho, the black and white caricatures of each main character seem almost superfluous to McKissack’s clever writing. However, as each drawing showcases the trickster at a turning point of the story the illustrations accentuate the truths inherent within the tales. With or without the illustrations, these tales beg to shared, read aloud, and enjoyed. So, as McKissack invites in her note, “...find a comfortable spot; and pour yourself a class of lemonade.” And if you listen closely, you can hear the crickets chirping in the night.

Review Excerpts

From Booklist, Starred Review – “…the nine original tales in this uproarious collection draw on African American oral tradition and blend history and legend with sly humor, creepy horror, villainous characters, and wild farce.”

From School Library Journal – “They contain the essence of truth but are fiction from beginning to end, an amalgam of old stories, characters, jokes, setups, and motifs.”