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Download high-resolution image Look inside

John Henry

Author Julius Lester
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Look inside
Paperback
$8.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Puffin Books
9.5"W x 11.44"H x 0.15"D   | 7 oz | 72 per carton
On sale Dec 01, 1999 | 40 Pages | 978-0-14-056622-2
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Reading Level: Lexile AD620L
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
See Additional Formats
  • Children's > Diversity > Black/African American
  • Children's > Fiction
  • Children's > Holidays & Seasons > Black History Month
  • Children's > Picture Books > More Picture Books...
  • Literacy & Education > Literacy > Diversity in Literacy
  • Literacy & Education > Literacy > Paperbacks
  • Literacy & Education > Teacher Supply
  • About
  • Awards
  • Author
Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney's warm, humorous retelling of a popular African-American folk ballad.

When John Henry was born the birds, bears, rabbits, and even a unicorn came to see him. He grew so fast, he burst right through the porch roof, and laughed so loud, he scared the sun! Soon John Henry is swinging two huge sledgehammers to build roads, pulverizing boulders, and smashing rocks to smithereens. He's stronger than ten men and can dig through a mountain faster than a steam drill. Nothing can stop John Henry, and his courage stays with us forever.

A Caldecott Honor Book

* "This is a tall tale and heroic myth, a celebration of the human spirit . . . The story is told with rhythm and wit, humor and exageration, and with a heart-catching immediacy that connects the human and the natural world. " --Booklist, starred review

"Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus fame." --School Library Journal

"A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling filled with glorious, detailed watercolors . . .  This carefully crafted updating begs to be read aloud for its rich, rhythmic storytelling flow, and the suitably oversize illustrations amplify the text." --Publishers Weekly
  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Book
  • WINNER
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • WINNER
    Caldecott Honor Book
Julius Lester is a celebrated author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award. He is also a National Book Award finalist, a National Book Critics Circle nominee, and a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In addition to his critically acclaimed writing career, Mr. Lester has distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, musician, photographer, radio talk-show host, and professor. For 32 years he taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in western Massachusetts. View titles by Julius Lester
Jerry Pinkney is one of America's most admired children's book illustrators. He has won the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, five New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Awards, the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the Society of Illustrators' Original Art Show Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other prizes and honors. Recently a member of the National Council of the Arts and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has also served on the U.S. Postal Service Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Schomburg Center, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. Jerry Pinkney lives with his wife, author Gloria Jean Pinkney, in Westchester County, New York. View titles by Jerry Pinkney

About

Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney's warm, humorous retelling of a popular African-American folk ballad.

When John Henry was born the birds, bears, rabbits, and even a unicorn came to see him. He grew so fast, he burst right through the porch roof, and laughed so loud, he scared the sun! Soon John Henry is swinging two huge sledgehammers to build roads, pulverizing boulders, and smashing rocks to smithereens. He's stronger than ten men and can dig through a mountain faster than a steam drill. Nothing can stop John Henry, and his courage stays with us forever.

A Caldecott Honor Book

* "This is a tall tale and heroic myth, a celebration of the human spirit . . . The story is told with rhythm and wit, humor and exageration, and with a heart-catching immediacy that connects the human and the natural world. " --Booklist, starred review

"Another winning collaboration from the master storyteller and gifted artist of Tales of Uncle Remus fame." --School Library Journal

"A great American hero comes fully to life in this epic retelling filled with glorious, detailed watercolors . . .  This carefully crafted updating begs to be read aloud for its rich, rhythmic storytelling flow, and the suitably oversize illustrations amplify the text." --Publishers Weekly

Awards

  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Book
  • WINNER
    Caldecott Honor Book
  • WINNER
    Caldecott Honor Book

Author

Julius Lester is a celebrated author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award. He is also a National Book Award finalist, a National Book Critics Circle nominee, and a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In addition to his critically acclaimed writing career, Mr. Lester has distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, musician, photographer, radio talk-show host, and professor. For 32 years he taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in western Massachusetts. View titles by Julius Lester
Jerry Pinkney is one of America's most admired children's book illustrators. He has won the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, five New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Awards, the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the Society of Illustrators' Original Art Show Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other prizes and honors. Recently a member of the National Council of the Arts and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has also served on the U.S. Postal Service Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Schomburg Center, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. Jerry Pinkney lives with his wife, author Gloria Jean Pinkney, in Westchester County, New York. View titles by Jerry Pinkney

Additional formats

  • John Henry
    John Henry
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-1606-3
    $18.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Oct 01, 1994
    Age 4-8 years
  • John Henry
    John Henry
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-1606-3
    $18.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Oct 01, 1994
    Age 4-8 years

Other Books by this Author

  • Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
    Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-593-40618-2
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Dial Books
    Sep 28, 2021
    Age 4-8 years
  • The Christmas Boot
    The Christmas Boot
    Lisa Wheeler, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-4134-8
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Rocky Pond Books
    Oct 18, 2016
    Age 4-8 years
  • Puss in Boots
    Puss in Boots
    Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-751575-9
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Nov 03, 2015
    Age 4-8 years
  • In the Forest of Your Remembrance
    In the Forest of Your Remembrance
    Gloria Jean Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney, Brian Pinkney
    978-0-399-18620-2
    $14.00 US
    Paperback
    Dial Books
    Jun 02, 2015
    Age 5-8 years
  • Three Little Kittens
    Three Little Kittens
    Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-3533-0
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Sep 30, 2010
    Age 3-5 years
  • The Moon Over Star
    The Moon Over Star
    Dianna Hutts Aston, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-3107-3
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Oct 16, 2008
    Age 6-8 years
  • The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
    The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
    Patricia C. McKissack, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-375-83759-3
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Schwartz & Wade
    Sep 11, 2007
    Age 4-8 years
  • Tales of Uncle Remus (Puffin Modern Classics)
    Tales of Uncle Remus (Puffin Modern Classics)
    The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-240720-2
    $7.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 28, 2006
    Age 8-12 years
  • The Little Red Hen
    The Little Red Hen
    Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-2935-3
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    May 18, 2006
    Age 4-8 years
  • To Be a Slave
    To Be a Slave
    Julius Lester, Tom Feelings
    978-0-14-240386-0
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 29, 2005
    Age 8-12 years
  • The Little Match Girl
    The Little Match Girl
    Hans Christian Andersen, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-230188-3
    $7.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Sep 23, 2002
    Age 5-8 years
  • Minty
    Minty
    A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
    Alan Schroeder, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-056196-8
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 01, 2000
    Age 4-8 years
  • Sam and the Tigers
    Sam and the Tigers
    A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo'
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-056288-0
    $7.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Aug 28, 2000
    Age 4-8 years
  • From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
    From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
    Julius Lester, Rod Brown
    978-0-14-056669-7
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 01, 1999
    Age 8-12 years
  • Uncle Remus: the Complete Tales
    Uncle Remus: the Complete Tales
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-2451-8
    $50.00 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Oct 01, 1999
    Age 8-12 years
  • Back Home
    Back Home
    Gloria Jean Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-056547-8
    $6.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Jun 01, 1999
    Age 4-8 years
  • The Long Journey Home
    The Long Journey Home
    Stories from Black History
    Julius Lester
    978-0-14-038981-4
    $6.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Jan 01, 1998
    Age 10 and up
  • Mirandy and Brother Wind
    Mirandy and Brother Wind
    Patricia McKissack, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-679-88333-3
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Dragonfly Books
    Jan 13, 1997
    Age 3-7 years
  • The Talking Eggs
    The Talking Eggs
    Robert D. San Souci, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-0619-4
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Sep 29, 1989
    Age 4-8 years
  • The Patchwork Quilt
    The Patchwork Quilt
    Valerie Flournoy, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-0097-0
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Mar 29, 1985
    Age 4-8 years
  • Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
    Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-593-40618-2
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Dial Books
    Sep 28, 2021
    Age 4-8 years
  • The Christmas Boot
    The Christmas Boot
    Lisa Wheeler, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-4134-8
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Rocky Pond Books
    Oct 18, 2016
    Age 4-8 years
  • Puss in Boots
    Puss in Boots
    Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-751575-9
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Nov 03, 2015
    Age 4-8 years
  • In the Forest of Your Remembrance
    In the Forest of Your Remembrance
    Gloria Jean Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney, Brian Pinkney
    978-0-399-18620-2
    $14.00 US
    Paperback
    Dial Books
    Jun 02, 2015
    Age 5-8 years
  • Three Little Kittens
    Three Little Kittens
    Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-3533-0
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Sep 30, 2010
    Age 3-5 years
  • The Moon Over Star
    The Moon Over Star
    Dianna Hutts Aston, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-3107-3
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Oct 16, 2008
    Age 6-8 years
  • The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
    The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll
    Patricia C. McKissack, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-375-83759-3
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Schwartz & Wade
    Sep 11, 2007
    Age 4-8 years
  • Tales of Uncle Remus (Puffin Modern Classics)
    Tales of Uncle Remus (Puffin Modern Classics)
    The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-240720-2
    $7.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 28, 2006
    Age 8-12 years
  • The Little Red Hen
    The Little Red Hen
    Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-2935-3
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    May 18, 2006
    Age 4-8 years
  • To Be a Slave
    To Be a Slave
    Julius Lester, Tom Feelings
    978-0-14-240386-0
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 29, 2005
    Age 8-12 years
  • The Little Match Girl
    The Little Match Girl
    Hans Christian Andersen, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-230188-3
    $7.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Sep 23, 2002
    Age 5-8 years
  • Minty
    Minty
    A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
    Alan Schroeder, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-056196-8
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 01, 2000
    Age 4-8 years
  • Sam and the Tigers
    Sam and the Tigers
    A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo'
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-056288-0
    $7.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Aug 28, 2000
    Age 4-8 years
  • From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
    From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
    Julius Lester, Rod Brown
    978-0-14-056669-7
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Dec 01, 1999
    Age 8-12 years
  • Uncle Remus: the Complete Tales
    Uncle Remus: the Complete Tales
    Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-2451-8
    $50.00 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Oct 01, 1999
    Age 8-12 years
  • Back Home
    Back Home
    Gloria Jean Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-14-056547-8
    $6.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Jun 01, 1999
    Age 4-8 years
  • The Long Journey Home
    The Long Journey Home
    Stories from Black History
    Julius Lester
    978-0-14-038981-4
    $6.99 US
    Paperback
    Puffin Books
    Jan 01, 1998
    Age 10 and up
  • Mirandy and Brother Wind
    Mirandy and Brother Wind
    Patricia McKissack, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-679-88333-3
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Dragonfly Books
    Jan 13, 1997
    Age 3-7 years
  • The Talking Eggs
    The Talking Eggs
    Robert D. San Souci, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-0619-4
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Sep 29, 1989
    Age 4-8 years
  • The Patchwork Quilt
    The Patchwork Quilt
    Valerie Flournoy, Jerry Pinkney
    978-0-8037-0097-0
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Dial Books
    Mar 29, 1985
    Age 4-8 years

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