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-folktales-
JOHN HENRY
An Imprint of Magic Wagon
abdobooks.com
by Christine Platt
illustrated by Evelt Yanait
About the Author
Christine A. Platt is an author and scholar of African and
African-American history. A beloved storyteller of the African
diaspora, Christine enjoys writing historical fiction and non-fiction
for people of all ages. You can learn more about her and her
work at christineaplatt.com.
For the storytellers who capture and
preserve histories--thank you! CP
To Elann and Bel, with endless love EY
abdobooks.com
Published by Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55439. Copyright 2022 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in
all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from the publisher. Calico Kid is a trademark and logo of Magic Wagon.
Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota.
052021
092021
Written by Christine Platt
Illustrated by Evelt Yanait
Edited by Tyler Gieseke
Art Directed by Candice Keimig
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020948617
Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Platt, Christine, author. | Yanait, Evelt, illustrator.
Title: John Henry / by Christine Platt : illustrated by Evelt Yanait
Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Magic Wagon, 2022 | Series: Folktales
Summary: John Henry is the fastest hammerman on the railroads in the years following the
American Civil War, so when a salesman comes by touting a machine he says can drill
faster than any man, John is determined to prove hes faster than any fancy device.
Identifiers: ISBN 9781098230258 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 9781098230814 (ebook) | ISBN
9781098231095 (Read-to-Me ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Folk literature, American--Juvenile literature. | Railroad construction workers--
Juvenile literature. | Steam-engines--Juvenile literature. | Strong men--Juvenile literature. |
Folktales--Juvenile literature.
Classification: DDC 398.2--dc23
Table of Contents
Chapter #1
A LEGEND
IS BORN
No one is sure whether John Henry
was born in the 1840s or 1850s.
People also arent sure whether
he was born in Virginia or North
Carolina. But almost everyone agrees
that John grew up to be a very
strong man. Ultimately, he became
a legend.
When John was born, slavery was
legal in Americas Southern states.
John was Black, and like many Black
people born in the South at that time,
he was born a slave. Enslaved people
had to do whatever work their owners
told them to, and they werent paid.
It was a very sad and difficult
life. John likely spent much of his
childhood working very hard.
Many Northern states disagreed
with using enslaved people for free
labor. In April 1861, the North and
the South went to battle over slavery.
The Civil War was the longest war
ever fought in the United States.
When the North defeated the South
in 1865, John became a free man!
And what a man he was.
John Henry was over six feet tall!
people recalled. He was a giant.
Others said, No one loved eating
more than John!
He had a beautiful voice, many
remembered. There was nothing like
hearing John sing and play the banjo
for his friends.
But John became a legend for
something else: his work ethic.
John Henry loved to work hard!
Chapter #2
BIG BEND
MOUNTAIN
After the Civil War, many formerly
enslaved people needed jobs. They
worked to help the country after
the war.
John Henry decided to work for
C&O Railroad company. Alongside
more than 1,000 men, John spent
his days building train tracks, from
Virginia all the way to Ohio.
Setting railroad tracks wasnt easy.
Rain or shine, men cleared rocks and
brush so there was a pathway for the
tracks. Others, like John, worked as
steel drivers.
Steel drivers were also known
as hammermen. They spent hours
drilling holes in rocks by driving steel
picks into them with hammers. Johns
hammer weighed pounds! After
every blow, Johns partner rotated
the pick in the hole.
Because John was tall, strong, and
hardworking, he was very good at
his job. Legend has it that John was
the strongest hammerman. He was
also the fastest. When he saw other
hammermen who needed help, John
often did their work too.
Thank you, John! the other men
would bellow.
A man aint nothin but a man,
John would say with a smile. He has
just got to do his best.
Things went well until John and his
crew reached Big Bend Mountain in
West Virginia. The mountain was so
large, the railroad couldnt go around
it. The men had no choice but to
do what C&O Railroad asked: drill
through the mountain!
Chapter #3
MAN VS.
MACHINE
Can you imagine digging a hole in
a mountain with only a steel pick and
a hammer? It was very difficult work.
Drilling through Big Bend Mountain
was so hard, some railroad workers
passed out from the effort. But
not John Henry! He spent many
hours being the strongest, fastest
hammerman drilling the tunnel.
According to legend, a salesman
came to the crew one day at Big Bend.
Drilling through the mountain with only
steel picks was slowing the railroads
progress. The salesman promised C&O
managers he had a solution.
Wait until you see this go, the
salesman said as he showed off
his invention. My steam-powered
machine can drill holes faster than
any man.
The salesman kept bragging. And
the more he bragged, the more upset
John became.
Theres no way that machine can
beat me! John really didnt like the
idea of a machine doing the work
of hammermen.
C&O Railroad managers decided to
have a contest. If the steam-powered
machine could drill a hole farther and
faster than John could, they promised
the salesman they would buy it.
On the day of the race, the salesman
set up his steam-powered drill.
John picked up his hammer.
Ready? Set? Go!
For hours, John raced against
the machine, hammering as hard
and as fast as he could. As the
sunlight began to fade, the race was
over. And guess who won? John Henry!
Chapter #4
LEGENDS
LIVE FOREVER
The other railroad workers
celebrated Johns amazing win. But
