John Henry

Children's Literature - Cathi I. White

Children love stories and will enjoy reading the thrilling details in this folktale about the legendary John Henry. When John was born, he loved to hammer and was able to do so with one hammer in each hand. When he was two, John was bigger than his mom and dad! He loved to hammer so much that he began working on the railroad when he was only ten. He hammered in the morning; he hammered in the evening; he hammered all the time! He could hammer faster and better than anyone in the world. One day there was a steam drill that was supposed to be faster at hammering than any human. John thought he could beat the steam drill and challenged the man who invented it. Everyone came to see the contest. Children will be intrigued as they read about the exciting contest. The colorful, animated illustrations make the story more thrilling. Teachers will enjoy adding this fun folktale to their classroom library. This book is part of the "My 1st Classic Story" series. Reviewer: Cathi I. White