Customer Reviews

Henry Climbs a Mountain

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the third of this illustrator's riffs on themes from Thoreau (this time, a take on HDT's famous night in jail), "Henry Climbs a Mountain" is not immediately as satisfying as the first two ("Henry Hikes to Fitchburg" and "Henry Builds a Cabin"). The illustrations have lost some of the joy that distinguishes the first two books. The colors seem more subdued and the scenes less captivating. (One picture in particular, where Henry begins to imagine his way into the jail-cell wall, is positively awkward.)

That said, "Henry Climbs" is the most resonant of the three. For a book of some thirty-two pages, there's a lot going on here: a "Harold and the Purple Crayon"-like meditation on art and creativity; a parable on freedom and slavery; even a comment (I think) on compassion and interconnectedness. It's no wonder this book isn't as fun as the first two! But it's still far from somber. Johnson's insertion of small creatures throughout, especially Henry's fellow cellmate (a mouse), brightens the mood considerably, and the whole book ends on a two-page spread that's appropriately vernal in its color and hope.

The Henry who stopped for blueberries on the way to Fitchburg and still arrived in time for a moonlight sit with his friend has changed. (I'd say he's not just for kids anymore, but then, he never really was.) It's good, though, to see this bear growing up just a little. One misses the ecstatic illustrations of "Fitchburg" and "Cabin," but I think "Climbs" will stick with the reader longer. This is one of the most intelligent picture books of the year--a worthy successor to Johnson's first two books and, like the others, a wonderful way to re-energize even a jaded adult's fondness for Thoreau.

This is the third and most bold of D.B. Johnson's series of children's picture books depicting an eccentric bear named Henry to imaginatively reconstruct elements from Henry David Thoreau's life. The illustrations are colorful and playful and evocative, and the story is told with a simplicity that Thoreau himself would admire.

The story combines an account of Thoreau's night in jail (as a result of his refusal to pay taxes to a country that would support slavery and an unjust war in Mexico) with his encounter with a wilderness so wild it frightened him on the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is a brilliant combination, that reminds those who know about Thoreau of the connection between his political engagements and his personal explorations, and that suggests to newcomers that freedom is not what you are given by your government but something you achieve by standing up for what is right. It is scary and involves personal risk, but can change the world. I highly recommend this book.

Nearly every page of this story contains a passage to a thoughtful conversation with your child. The story is based on an incident from the life of Henry David Thoreau. Henry the bear is missing a shoe, and is on his way to the cobbler when he is stopped by the taxman and must spend a night in jail because he didn't pay. In the jail cell, Henry starts to draw on the walls and gets lost on his creative landscape, hiking up a mountain he created and meeting a friend. It is a beautiful, simple story that will provoke thoughtful questions. There is, for instance, an act of civil disobedience and its consequence. The breadth and power of imagination is also an important theme. A turning point in the story follows an act of generosity. Again, it is an entertaining story that may give you and a young reader lots to talk about together and for that it is highly recommended.

You laughed as you read, "Henry Goes To Fitchburg". You gasped as you read, "Henry Builds a Cabin". And now comes the boldest addition to the Henry series yet. In true Thoreauian fashion (life's too short not to write the word, "Thoreauian" once in a while) Henry's back and he's mad. Mad at the state for legalizing slavery, that is. Adding yet another title to his Henry-David-Thoreau-as-portrayed-by-bear series, author D.B. Johnson serves up his tightest Henry tale to date. The book is a gutsy (and, some might say, timely) tale of disrespecting an immoral authority.

One day, Henry the bear decides to go mountain climbing. Trouble is, he seems to have only one shoe (the other being fixed at the local shoemaker's). So, one-footed Henry decides to visit the shoemaker and get his article of clothing back. While in town, he meets up with Sam the tax collector. Sam asks Henry why he hasn't paid his taxes. "Pay a state that lets farmers own slaves? Never!". So it's off to the clinker for Henry. While there, he removes some crayons from his pocket and begins to draw on the wall. First he draws a second shoe. Then flowers. Then a path, and a river, and finally the mountain Henry wanted to climb in the first place. Reaching the top (for he has now created his own reality) he meets a traveler escaping North. Suffice to say, by the end of the story Henry has given away his shoes and, since someone else has paid his taxes, he bids adieu to the city jail. When asked how it feels to be free he responds, "It feels like being on top of a very tall mountain". And off he goes.

The book draws on a passage of Thoreau's, detailing a similar incident from his life. Some may contest whether Thoreau was jailed for not paying taxes because he objected to slavery or because he objected to supporting the Mexican War. The passage quoted in the book says, "...I was seized and put into jail, because I did not pay a tax to, or recognize the authority of, the state which buys and sells men, women, and children, like cattle at the door of its senate-house". Seems pretty clear to me. Johnson turns this simple story into a topsy-turvy through the looking glass kind of adventure. What Henry draws becomes real, and it is this post-modern aspect of the tale that makes it just a hair better than most books that cover similar subjects (civil disobedience and the like).

But as always, the real glory here goes to the illustrations. And what illustrations these are. As always, Johnson's style of choice is pseudo-cubism. But it's the little details that I especially like. The mouse that lives with Henry in the jail and that escapes with him at the end. The ads for runaway slaves that pepper the walls of buildings. And the woodland creatures are especially nice. Everything from timid skunks to chubby chickadees. You would have a hard time finding fault with such lovely lithesome pictures.

To sum up: Good story. Good writing. Good illustrations. Good book. Of the Henry series (that I have read) this is my number one choice. A fine bit of schooling in civil disobedience for preschool activists. Just the thing to get them started on the right foot.

To those who say this is not for the youngest readers, I say BAH! You are the same people who would have looked on while the Nazis gassed the Jews.

When Johnson put out his first HENRY book -- HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG -- we, his fans, wondered how he would address the RIGOR in Thoreau's philosophy -- namely, RESPONSIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND INTEGRITY. These things are at the core of living a passionate life, and they are also the things "civilized" adults jettison first, to avoid confrontation and temporary hardship.

Listen, parents. Unlike you, HENRY DAVID THOREAU WAS WILLING TO GO TO JAIL TO PROTEST HUMAN ENSLAVEMENT. And if he hadn't -- and if MLK Jr. (let's get down to brass tacks here) and *countless others throughout history* hadn't been willing to BRAVELY make the same bold statement -- you would not be where you are today: Sitting in your kid's cozy little bed reading a picture book.

You see, Thoreau's night in jail wasn't so bad after all! Check out the gorgeous pictures! Let yourself be inspired by the story! Your kids will surely learn to live their dreams, be fearless, and flourish on behalf of all mankind.

As a sixth grade literature teacher, I like to challenge my students. Walden and Thoreau are challenges to them. One wonderful thing about reading is it connects on so many levels. Before reading any excerpt from Walden, I begin with one of the 'Henry' books. The simple text and exciting illustrations grab my students' young minds and make them open to avenues we can explore together. My only dissatisfaction about this series is that there aren't more of them!

Part of what I like to do in a review is to remind other parents of things I've noticed while reading a book to my children.

For example, other reviewers here have ably described the plot of "Henry Climbs a Mountain", so there is hardly any point in me duplicating those efforts. So instead, I am going to comment on the one thing that occurred to me while reading it to my 3 and 5 year-olds. That basically, while Amazon has suggested this book for the 4 to 8 age range, that I think that 7 and older would be more appropriate.

One reason is the artwork. The pseudo cubist style (aka Duchamp or `Bear ascending a staircase' LOL) is not in every four year olds favorite style.

But a more important drawback is the fact that this book deals with taxes and slavery. While, I applaud the author for broaching the topic of slavery, and to a lesser extent taxes for youngsters, I have to ask, what 4 year old understands either topic. For Heaven's sake, my children don't even comprehend money, much less taxes. And being one of those moms who is trying to `extend' their innocence, I don't want to introduce the meanness of `slavery' and man's injustices to his fellow man quite yet. Slavery is just such a nasty topic that I personally don't plan to bring it up after my child has a little more exposure to the workings of the world.

Three Stars. A neutral rating based on age limitations.

This is the most meaningful "Henry" book DB Johnson wrote, about the night Henry David Thoreau spent in jail because he refuses to pay taxes to a government that supports slavery. A beautiful book about Henry's gentle protest and the journey his mind goes on while he's incarcerated. You might think this book is too heavy for little kids, but I honestly believe that everyone (even 3 year olds) should understand that it is never alright to own someone else. Another amazing book by DB Johnson with stunning illustrations.

My brother bought my new born son all of the Henry books as a 'welcome to the world' present. They've been his favorites since we began reading story books to him. He'll turn three this week and I just read all four in succession at bedtime, at his request. I worried that '...Climbs a Mountain" would be beyond my toddler's comprehension and that it would provoke a slew of questions that I could not find age appropriate answers for. But, it isn't and it hasn't. My son is capable of understanding the concepts of sharing and helping (Henry giving his shoes to a runaway slave). Learning to wait and do without is another concept touched on in the book that is a current life issue for my child. Finding objects and animals in Johnson's cubist-meets-WPA-muralistic styled drawings is my child's favorite approach to taking in this book. Following Henry over the mountain as he draws it, is reminiscent of "Harold and the Purple Crayon," too. Unlike another reviewer who felt the drawings were too complicated for preschoolers- I think they are great! We have exposed our kid to great works of art in person and in books since his eye sight developed enough to be able to take it all in and have no doubt that he is able to do just that. As for me, I love the life lessons for children in an age of extreme indulgences.

Slavery, prison, and taxes are immediately and clumsily introduced. These topics are far beyond a four-year-old, and trying to explain them to a small child is not going to help bedtime. The dark imagery in the illustrations doesn't help.

Emotionally secure older children can accept these themes and move on to the fantasy better executed in Harold and the Purple Crayon. Beyond age-appropriateness, this book is just not as well-written as the earlier Fitchburg and Cabin.