For the Julius Lester pick, I chose to read John Henry - a wonderful tale about an African-American man who was born strong and grew overnight to be huge! He used his size for wonderful things, like helping his mother and father build on to their house, and helping to make roads in the blink of an eye. This book was illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, and I found later that he has illustrated several of Lester's books. The story of John Henry was a fabled tale in the African-American community, no one can seem to prove or disprove that this man actually existed. There have been many folk songs written about John Henry, and each version is a little different. John Henry, the way the book tells it, was very respected, and sometimes even the sun peeked out to see what he was up to! I enjoyed this book - I thought the illustrations really helped add to and tell the story, and I couldn't help but to love the gentle giant with the big heart.
The author, Julius Lester, is an African-American professor who has taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for over 30 years. He started life wanting to be a musician, but has written more than 25 books (both adult and children's books). As mentioned before, several of his novels have been illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Here is a list of some of the other titles he has written:
- Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue (A Coretta Scott King Award Winner)
- To Be a Slave
- The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
- Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales
- From Slave Ship to Freedom Road
Sources:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ Retrieved 3-13-08
www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/lester.html Retrieved on 3-13-08
Lester, J. (1994). John henry. New York: Dial Books for Young Children.
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