John Henry vs. the Mighty Steam Drill

by Cari Meister, Victor Rivas (Illustrator)

Overview

Ever hear of a feller named John Henry? They say he was born with a 10 pound hammer in his hand! As a man, John was the fastest steel drivin' man helpin' to build the railroad. So when a stranger challenged mighty John to take on a steam drill, what do you think that John Henry did? Kick off yer' boots and listen to this fascinatin' tale of John Henry and the steam drill.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781479554478
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Series:	American Folk Legends
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	AD680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cari Meister has written more than 130 books for children, including the Tiny series (Penguin) and the Fast Forward Fairy Tales series (Scholastic).  Cari is a school librarian and she loves to visit other schools and libraries to talk about the joy of reading and writing.  Cari lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, four boys, one horse, and one dog.  You can find out more about her at www.carimeister.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2014
Gr 3–5—Sandwiched between historical notes that provide both general context and biographical details, these retold legends give four (male) folktale heroes a chance to strut their stuff. The tales, spun in mildly colloquial language ("Oh Lordy, was John Henry a mighty fine babe!") are illustrated with equally mild cartoon caricatures and feature Davy Crockett wrestling a giant 'gator, Pecos Bill carving out the Grand Canyon atop a tornado, John Henry doing several good deeds before taking on that steam drill, and Johnny Appleseed rescuing injured animals as he makes his seed sowing rounds. Each volume concludes with boilerplate notes on tropes common to American folktales, a pair of Common Core—specific study questions, and a brief bibliography. Though other versions of these stories aren't hard to find, the background material will give both general readers and folklore enthusiasts a broader perspective on the genre.

School Library Journal