John Henry

"Dying ain't important...what matters is how you do your livin'," narrates Samuel L. Jackson, in this iconographic adaptation of the 1984 picture book written by Julius Lester and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. And John Henry, classic American folk hero, did his livin' LARGE (he literally shot through the roof shortly after his birth--and that's a fact). Fleshed out from the famous folk ballad, John Henry describes the picaresque adventures of the steel-drivin' man (who carried 20 pound sledgehammers in each hand) as he works his way across the landscape towards his fateful contest with a steam drill to see who could tunnel through West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains quicker, man or machine. Like the tall tales of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Johnny Appleseed, the story of John Henry offers simple homespun wisdom in the guise of a wonderfully outlandish story. Whether it's the notion of the Sun getting up early to watch John Henry's exploits or the sight of the big man busting through a boulder like a knife through olestra, John Henry is a joy to watch. Highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)