Keats, Ezra Jack John Henry (50th Anniversary Edition) 32 pgs, Knopf
Books for Young Readers 2014. $17.99 PICTURE BOOK
American Legend, John Henry knew how to swing a hammer even when he was a baby.
His strength only grew from there and helped him out as he made his way through
the world. Eventually he ends up on a railroad crew. When they come to a
mountain of a roadblock, will John Henry be able to tunnel through faster than
a machine?Obviously this is a much beloved book if its being republished. But this was my first time reading this version of John Henry’s story and I found that I didn’t care for it much. It sort of feels like a tall tale, but with all the warmth leached from it, like it’s more of a realistic biography. The illustrations are great from an artistic standpoint, but I would actually really like to share with students a more bright and vivid set of pictures that would really bring the story to life. Which is why when I do a unit next week on Tall Tales with the second graders, I won’t be using this book.
EL(K-3) –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
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