John Henry

Bibliographic Information: Lester, J. (1999). John Henry. Illus. Jerry Pinkney. New York, NY: Penguin Group USA.

Annotation: This is a great book about a boy named John Henry who, from birth, grew so fast, big and strong that he became a hero to all of those around him. This tall tale shows kids that anything is possible and you can be anything in the world if you put your mind to it. The watercolor illustrations add to the feel of strength and determination in the book.

Genre: Folktale

Grade Level: 3-5

Readers who like this book: Children who are interested in folktales and stories of humans doing extraordinary things. Educators may enjoy sharing this book in class while discussing a child's trouble to fit in and belong.

Personal response: I like this book because the hero of the book is an African-American and it is set decades ago. I really like how they portrayed John Henry as a "super hero" and showed children just how great you can be! I would rate this book as a 4.

A question you would ask before reading: If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be? Super strength? Invisibility? Etc....