Customer Reviews

John Henry (Caldecott Honor Book)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you haven't read a book that combines the individual talents of Lester and Pinkney (Julius Lester writes, Jerry Pinkney draws) then this might be a good place to start. The two artists have reinterpreted a variety of classic African-American tales to their own liking. From their, "The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit" to the more recent "Sam and the Tigers" (a reworked "Little Black Sambo") they are nothing if not prolific. With this book they tackle one of this country's tallest tales. The legend of John Henry. And whether you delight in their version or cling to the story you learned as a child (as I confess, I did while reading it) you have to step back and admire their enthusiasm.

In this version of "John Henry" the duo has consulted a variety of texts and versions, adding some special touches and flourishes of their own. This John Henry is a baby one day and an adult the next. He can outrace the meanest man in town and carve through solid rock with a rainbow draped across his shoulders. When the final showdown against a steam drill comes, John Henry's ready. He beats that drill only to die from a burst heart. We are assured, however, that he is buried on the White House Lawn and that at night you can hear his voice singing.

There's some getting used to here, certainly. No refrain of, "I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand" is chanted. And John Henry doesn't work the railroads with everyone else. Rather, he accidentally stumbles across the man with the steam engine while on travels of his own. And then Lester has tried to make the story applicable to the youth of today. He did this in "The Tales of Uncle Remus" too, and I had some very similar problems. In this particular book, for example, it mentions early on that, "That day John Henry helped his papa rebuild the porch he had busted through, added a wing onto the house with an indoor swimming pool and one of the jacutzis". Personally, I don't see why this helps the text at all. I dunno. Maybe kids like hearing about Jacuzzis in their picture books. But for me, at any rate, it distracts. Pinkney's illustrations, on the other hand, are above criticism. Here we have a Ferret-Faced Freddy that has a mean weasel-like face. We see John Henry grow older and older as we watch, as well as taller and taller. I liked the clothes, the setting, and the landscapes. I especially liked the fact that John's gap-toothed grin is with him from infancy through adulthood.

The world is sorely in need of more African-American fables as remarkable as this one. And it goes without saying that everyone EVERYONE should know the ballad of John Henry by heart. I'm not willing to drop the towel and declare this particular version the epitome of all John Henrys, but it is still a noble work. Feel free to criticize it, but don't discount it. Never discount it.

Julius Lester's version of the legend of John Henry is well-told. I laughed out loud when Lester described Ferret-Faced Freddy, a man "so mean, he cried if he had a nice thought." Lester also uses marvelous metaphors (next to a large mountain, John Henry doesn't look "much bigger than a wish that wasn't going to come true"). Lester's version is very different from other versions I'm familiar with (such as Ezra Jack Keat's), but I love it.

Pinkney, who has teamed up with Lester on other books (my favorite is "Sam and the Tigers"), provides beautiful illustrations to accompany the text.

This author/illustrator pair have teamed up for a great work. I am a teacher and have read this book with kids in k-8th grade for a variety of purposes. Wonderful illustrations is an understatement. The story itself is great even if different than the tale you may have heard before, and the language is so great. Fabulous book for teaching about many things-from tall tales to metaphors to thinking strategies. My kids at home loved this book too.

The story of John Henry fleshed out and made magical at the same time. The paintings are evocative watercolors, beautifully done. The language is an interesting mixture of puns and idioms. The story of John Henry is so compelling to my little boy that he resists reading the part where John dies because he just can't stand it. We have to skip over to the page where it explains that you can still hear the hammers ringing out if you listen in the night out front of the White House. He likes that. Odd and mystical. Recommended.

Wow. The giant baby at the beginning of the book will draw your children in, get them laughing, and keep them interested as John Henry demonstrates his tremendous strength - physical strength, and strength of character. John Henry has a heart as big as his muscles, and he sets out to do jobs too big for regular people to handle.

"Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living."

John Henry was born as a normal baby, but when he began to grow he grew very big and very fast.

He grew and grew untill one day his head and shoulders grew out of the roof that was over the poarch.

That next morning he helped his father re-build the poarch that he had ruined. Anything anyone needed

help with John Henry was willing and ready to help. He was very big and strong and believed that he could fix

anything or any problem anyone had. There was no one who could beat John Henry, but many tried. He

through many differnt battles agains people and objects through out the story, but the one that really

gets him in the end is the battle agains the machine to cut and grind through the moutain. He

He hammers faster and faster and tries so hard untill he cant take it anymore and he dies in the end

The people understand that dying isnt what matters its what do you and how well you live

your life .

Wonderfully written and illustrated, this is a folk tale that any child would enjoy. The dialogue is song-like and instantly engaging. The pictures are very intricate and beautiful watercolors.

I loved this book because it reminds me of my dad and I see him as strong black man who can do anything. He is stronger than 10 men to me and I want to grow up and be just like him! My family and I recommend this book very highly for young readers like myself. There is also a few songs about John Henry and one is by Johnny Cash which my family and I are a fan of.

This was not a very good book storywise. It was an amalgam of different John Henry stories with a bit of modern reference thrown in (jacuzzi's) for what reason I can not fathom. The artwork is what makes this book interesting and would make a great picture book if the publisher's would just get rid of the written story. Get this book for your pre-readers and tell the story your own way or better yet, let them tell you a story.

Thank you for fast service. My students are enjoying it a great deal. Thank you.