Julius Lester

John Henry by Julius Lester


This book is a retelling of the American tall tale of John Henry. John Henry was made famous with his legendary race with with a steam drill. John Henry with a sledge hammer in each hand entered a race with a steam drill tunneling through the Allegheny Mountains. John Henry wins but then dies of exhaustion. Lester begins the story with a brief history of John Henry and a history of the search for his existence. It also states that he based his book on two sources: B.A. Botkin's, A Treasury of American Folktale, 1944 and Alan Lomax's Folk Songs of North America, 1960. He ends the story with a moral, "Dieing isn't important, it's how you live that is important". He worked very closely with Jerry Pinkney who illustrated the book. Pinkney masterfully depicted the heroism and strength of the character through his highly detailed watercolor paintings.

Other Books that he has written: To Be a Slave; The Tales of Uncle Remus : The Adventures of Brer Rabbit; Pharaoh's Daughter : A Novel of Ancient Egypt; Cupid : A Tale of Love and Desire; From Slave Ship to Freedom Road