Review: A Natural Man: The True Story of John Henry by Steve Sanfield, Peter J. Thornton (Illustrations)

Title: A Natural Man: The True Story of John Henry
Author: Steve Sanfield
Illustrator: Peter J. Thornton
Pages: 48
Publisher: August House Publishers
Published: Sept. 16, 2014
Genre: Fairy Tales, Myths Children
Review: Paperback received from publisher
Buy Links: Amazon, Amazon.uk 

This timeless ballad has been part of American folklore for over a century. Born with a hammer in his hand, John Henry discovers his true calling as a steel-driving man but he inevitably meets his match in a race against a steam drill that provides a powerful metaphor for the disruption and loss of innocence created by the industrial age. Thorne's soft charcoal drawings deftly capture the triumphal spirit of this cautionary tale.

We received this book to give an honest review.

I love the story of John Henry it is something that I remember reading when I was young child. K has seen a show or something on him at school which I found to be neat. So when this book was for review I wanted K to hear the folklore of ol' John Henry. I think this book is book did an amazing telling of John Henry from the time he was born to the work he did and to the way he died. As we all know John Henry could do anything and predicted his death or so it was told. You see John Henry was A Natural Man. K really liked learning a bit of John Henry and was excited to read about the hammers he could swing while working on the railroad.

I highly recommend this book to either be in school libraries or even in the classrooms, kids from ages 8 on up would enjoy this book. Now the story is not divided into chapters and it is a good almost 30 minute read which for us was great to read at bedtime. The pictures were amazing and went very well with the story being told on each page.

Questions and Answers with K

1. Did you enjoy the book?

"Yes I can't believe John Henry was big"

2. Did you have a favorite part?

" I really liked it all but I liked seeing him hold the baby that was super tiny in his hand"

3. Would you recommend this book to your friends?

"Yes if they wanted to read it. I think it was a neat book" 

an award winning author, poet, and professional storyteller. He became the first full-time Storyteller-in-Residence in the United States under the sponsorship of the California Arts Council. Considered one of the country's foremost storytellers, he is equally renowned for his versions of African-American folktales. Founder and artistic director of the Sierra Storytelling Festival, he has been featured at numerous venues throughout the United States, including the National Storytelling Festival. He lives with his family near Nevada City, California.