Julius Lester

Tonight, I read John Henry, a 1995 Caldecott Honor book, written by Julius Lester and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. From the rich illustrations, it is obvious why this book deserved the Caldecott Honor. The muted colors of the illustrations left me feeling as if I was stepping back into the late 1800s and the time of John Henry's supposed existence. And, the illustrations furthered the text by incorporating details from the story, including the personification of animals, to help the reader more thoroughly imagine the scene.

Though the illustrations were distinguished, I was impressed with the text of the story. Julius Lester cleverly pulls modern-day readers into this historical folk tale with his humorous writing style and references to modern-day objects. For example, a young John Henry installs a swimming pool for his parents. Young readers will also laugh, like myself, at his similes. These similes so aptly describe the characters and events of the plot that you feel as if you are witnessing firsthand the action of the story. For example, at one point, Julius Lester describes a character's laugh as the sound of "bat wings on tombstones." Don't chills run down your back when imagining the evil character who possesses a laugh like that?!

I think readers will also appreciate Julius Lester's strong voice in the writing. The dialect of his narrator matches the context and setting of the story, which adds to the richness of the story. And, his voice also emerges when he describes the people's farewell to John Henry. As they wave their goodbye, readers gently are reminded of the theme of the story--that it doesn't matter if you die but rather how you live your life. Mr. Lester subtly but appropriately weaves that into the storyline.

In the book, Mr. Lester adds a piece of folklore to this already well-known tale. Supposedly, the body of John Henry was laid to rest on the White House grounds and if you walk by the grounds late at night, you can hear him singing. This Sunday, for the Fourth of July, my husband and I are going to the National Mall to watch the fireworks display in D.C. Perhaps when they are over, I'll have to take a stroll to past the White House to pay homage to this American icon and listen for his voice.

Since I loved this book by Julius Lester, I think I will investigate some of his other books, including:

*How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have?
*Day of Tears
*The Hungry Ghosts
*Sam and the Tigers
*Shining
*The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World

If you would like to see a complete list of Julius Lester's works, visit his website at http://www.members.authorsguild.net/juliuslester/index.htm.