Who was the real John Hendry? The story of this legendary Afican-American figure has come down to us in so many songs, stories, and plays, that the facts are often lost. Historian Scott Nelson brings John Henry alive for young readers in his personal quest for the true story of the man behind the myth.
Nelson presents the famous folk song as a mystery to be unravelled, identifying the embedded clues within the lyrics, which he examines to uncover many surprising truths. He investigates the legend and reveals the real John Henry in this beautifully illustrated book. Nelson's narrative is multi-layered, interweaving the story of the building of the railroads, the period of reconstruction, folk tales, American mythology, and an exploration of the tradition of work songs and their evolution into blues and rock and roll. This is also the story of the author's search for the flesh-and-blood man who became an American folk hero; Nelson gives a first-person account of how the historian works, showing history as a process of discovery. Readers rediscover an African-American folk hero. We meet John Henry, the man who worked for the railroad, driving steel spikes. When the railroad threatens to replace workers with a stream-powered hammer, John Henry bets that he can drive the beams into the ground faster than the machine. He wins the contest, but dies in the effort.
This is Book 10 in the History (US) Series. See all History (US) books here.
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Scott Nelson has been a full time freelance illustrator, cartoonist and author since 1987 working with notable greeting card companies such as American Greeting, Hallmark and Golden Books for Children. Along with coaching soccer teams and teaching art in the public school system, he's illustrated nine books and won the Mom's Choice Award in 2006. He lives in
More about Scott NelsonThe National Geographic Kid is curious about the world around them, empowered in the face of challenges and responsible for others and the natural world. Combining these principles with the international educational heritage of Collins, this partnership is a natural fit for books that are funny, weird, exploratory, educational and loved by children.
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