John Henry cover art

John Henry

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

John Henry

By: Julius Lester, Jerry Pinkney
Narrated by: Samuel L. Jackson
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £3.90

Buy Now for £3.90

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.

"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

©1994 Dial (P)1998 Weston Woods
Chapter Books & Readers Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Multicultural Stories
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

  • ALA Notable Recording

No reviews yet