Traditional Literature Children's Book

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The tale of one of the strongest men that beat the steam drill using a hammer. John Henry was taller and stronger than most people and was really good with a hammer. Ezra Jack Keats did an awesome job with the illustrations. The pictures helped to tell the story. ( )

John Henry was a man that was born with a hammer in his hand. He grew up working with his dad and his hammer. He was taller, stronger and more hard working than anybody else. He laid down railroad tracks and one day he was challenged by a steam drill. He beat the drill but died saving his colleagues. An amazing book that kids should read. I remember reading this in school when i was a kid. ( )

The illustrations were really cool. They actually looked like pictures, but they were paintings. They are very detailed in the background. They make the reader focus on the background, because they don’t show the faces of any characters unless they were up close. The faces that are shown of the characters really show their emotions. The language in the book was very lively because the story includes a lot of detail about what is going on. However, it is not a lot of dialogue. The book is telling a story, so there wouldn’t be a lot of conversation going on. The illustrations really complement the story the author is telling. It is hard to tell if the story keeps with the oral traditions, because there are so many versions that tell the story of John Henry. ( )