John Henry

This book was written by Julius Lester and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It was based on an African American folk ballad. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1990. It is tall tale about a boy who grew unbelievably tall. In the story John Henry works on the railroad with a crew of men. The men come to a mountain and need to get through. To do this the men would need to use a steam machine, which would require no man-power. John Henry bet he could beat the steam machine through the mountain. John Henry beat the steam machine to the middle and even kept going. When he reached the other side of the mountain he died. He was a strong folk hero for African Americans.

This book is a great way to learn about folk tales that have been passed down through the generations. All culture have similar tales, which were originally passed down orally.

Julius Lester also wrote Search for the New Land, Revolutionary Notes, Day of Tears, Black Cowboy, Black Folk Tales, Wild Horses, Long Journey Home, The Tales of Uncle Remus, Sam and the Tigers, and many more.