John Henry Book

Krensky, Stephen. Oldryod, Mark. John Henry. (2007). The story begins begins with an explanation of tall tales and folk tales, and the authenticity of John Henry's story. The development of the story progresses from the time John Henry was a child until he reached adulthood. His parents encouraged him and supported him throughout his childhood as he became attached to the hammer at an early age. It is even rumored that he was born with the hammer in his hand, while this may not be completely true, he did carry the hammer everywhere he went. He eventually comes of age, and is able to swing the hammer, while at first he made a lot of destruction, he finally put his skill to good use by working on building fences and later on in the railroad. While working on the railroad, he is challenged by a salesman and his drilling machine to a contest of drilling holes. John Henry eventually wins, but that becomes the cause of his end. The illustrator does a good job of illustrating key and descriptive text in the story, and allowing the reader to visualize the key point in the story. The story is good, not very interesting at the beginning and middle, but finally climaxes at the end of the story. The story should have included more on his childhood, whether he went to school or did he have any friends growing up. I had heard of the tale of John Henry, but had never read the story, and now I wonder if other books tell the story differently. This was a mediocre story that left details out of his life, but the illustrations were interesting and descriptive. Target audience: ages 7 and up.