JOHN HENRY by Julius Lester

A. BIBLIOGRAPY
Lester, John. 1994. JOHN HENRY. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803716079

B. PLOT SUMMARY
John Henry is the story of man bigger than life. This book tells the story of instant growth in a child and the extraordinary achievements of the grown man. His ability to swing a hammer allowed him to challenge a “modern” machine and win. This story shows the appreciation that even nature had for John Henry and his huge will to “be all he could be.”

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lester immediately throws the reader into the story by telling how the birds, animals, sun, and moon came to his birth. Within a few paragraphs John Henry is born and grown so tall his head and shoulders busted through the porch roof. Lester moves John Henry from one event to another without losing pace, keeping the reader enthralled with his ability and achievements using humor and interjecting modern luxuries (indoor swimming pool and jucutzis). Throughout the book Henry is characterized as hard working, tireless, optimistic, and happy. These characteristics are apparent when he first repairs the porch roof for his family, chopped trees and made firewood, when he maneuvered Ferret-Faced Freddy into changing his behavior, when he moved the boulder, and finally when he dug the tunnel for the train.
The illustrator, Jerry Pinkney, uses pencil, colored pencils, and watercolor to produce illustrations that enliven and intensify the story. The pictures offer a multitude of visual feasting. The soft, yet vivid pictures tell the story visually along with the text. Creating a rainbow around John Henry as he demolished the boulder to create a road, establishes a visual representation of the hope and positive force of John Henry.
Cultural markers were used in the writing and illustrations of this book. Skin tone, facial features, body type, clothing, hairstyles and textures all represent African American culture in this book. African Americans were shown in a variety of settings. The text, through John Henry’s actions, repairing the porch roof, telling his parents he was leaving show his respect and love for his family.
The story and illustrations are both strengths of this book; both bring an emotional response from readers. The illustrations are a favorite of the book as well as John Henry for his positive can do attitude.

D. REVIEW EXCERPT
Horn Book starred (March, 1995)
The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations -- especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous -- are little short of magnificent. With source notes.

Kirkus Review (1994)
Onto the page bounds the colossus John Henry, man of legend, man of myth (though the preface keeps things off balance on that point). John was the archetype for the "Just Do It" generation; he was all bustle and business, surrounded by an aura of triumph. Lester hits upon all of John's special moments: his stupendous growth spurt; his humbling of Ferret-Faced Freddy; his smashing the great stone so fast that he creates a natty rainbow around his shoulders; and, of course, the climactic duel with the steam drill deep in the hills of West Virginia. John smoked the drill, but his big heart burst in the process. Lester (The Last Tales of Uncle Remus, p. 70, etc.; The Man Who Knew Too Much, see below) wisely makes it clear that you don't have to be John Henry to get things done: You just need the will; there's a bit of John to be tapped in us all. Pinkney's watercolors walk a smart and lovely line between ephemerality and sheer natural energy. The rainbow whispers the lesson here: "Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living." Amen.
School Library Journal (November 1994)
K-Gr 5-Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus (Dial, 1987) fame. Based on several well-known versions of an African American folk ballad, Lester's tale is true to the essence of the steel-driving man; yet, it allows room for touches of whimsy and even includes some contemporary references that tie the hero to our own times. Told with just a trace of dialect, the story moves along briskly toward the climax. Its moral message of the importance of a well-lived life is clearly stated, and the ending is uplifting. Pinkney's marvelous watercolors, abundantly rich in detail, convey both the superior strength and the warm sense of humanity that make John Henry perhaps a more down-to-earth character than some other tall-tale figures. The paintings' muted earth tones add a realistic touch to the text, bringing this John Henry alive. When viewed from a distance, however, figures and details sometimes blend together, making the book better suited to independent reading that group sharing. It will appeal to an older audience than Ezra Jack Keats's John Henry (Knopf, 1987) and is a fine addition to any folklore collection.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI

E. CONNECTIONS
Students can add an event and/or rewrite the ending. What else might John Henry have accomplished or what might he accomplish next?
Another book about John Henry:
Krensky, Stephen. JOHN HENRY. ISBN 1575058871