John Henry, (Paperback)

I felt that John Henry was was a very interesting book. I thought it was odd how he grew up incrediably fast. The book dosen't have any boring or slow parts; It just keeps moving. I felt that the book brought a great message about just enjoying life and making what you do during your time here worth while. Throughout the book, there was a rainbow that seemed to follow John Henry everywhere. I feel that this rainbow was a symbol of promise and it clung to John Henry because he was a promising man. The book also has excellent vocabulary, comparisons, and a good amount of history. The illustrations in this book aren't something to be ignored. The pictures are drab but beautifully painted. Since the illustrations are drab, when there is color, it seems to really pop. I can't decide if they're oil pastels or water color. The pictures added so much to the story that they could've told the story themselves.

This book is a good overall book for children, has a bunch of life lesson kids might go through. It teaches kids that they can be all the can be, no matter what. Bad home life, maybe bullying, a child can look at this book and look past all the bad in their life and see what he wants for themselves. But if you were to present this book in a classroom or just to a child, this book does refer to death. So beware that if the kids don't know what that is yet, that you are prepared to answer those kinds of questions. That is my only concern with this book. Overall a good book!