story by linda b. ross illustrations by joanne...

Story by Linda B. Ross Illustrations by Joanne Renaud

RAR_PK_IR_Q_BK1_p01_p20_73935.indd 1 11/1/10 12:49:57 PM

The Tale of John Henry

Story by Linda B. Ross

Illustrations by Joanne Renaud

ISBN: 978-0-7367-7393-5

Copyright © Zaner-Bloser, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

Zaner-Bloser, Inc., P.O. Box 16764, Columbus, Ohio 43216-6764, 1-800-421-3018

www.zaner-bloser.com

Printed in the United States of America

15 14 13 12 11 25160 5 4 3 2 1

Practice Words

exaggeratedextraordinaryexclaimedextendintenseforemanfortuneawesteel-driversdrivingdrivenCivil War

backbreakingmeantspreadstrengthenergyvictoryVirginiaplantationpowerfulwiryboastedobstacle

blowsblewswungtunneledcrowdfieldheartcountrymachineguaranteeworthdoubled


The Tale of John Henry

A tall tale is a story with characters or events that are greatly exaggerated.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: An Extraordinary Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 2: A Steel-Driving Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3: Big Bend Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 4: Man Against Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14


2

Chapter 1: An Extraordinary BoyJohn Henry’s story began in Virginia, about

20 years before the Civil War. His parents were slaves on a plantation. So when John Henry was born, he was a slave, too.

When he was born, thunder rumbled. Lightning lit up the night. It was as if the sky were announcing his birth. John’s parents knew right away their son was extraordinary. For one thing, he was twice as big as any newborn baby they’d ever seen. For another, he was more handsome than any baby had a right to be.


3

As John Henry grew up, he worked in the fields beside his parents. The young boy worked from dawn until dusk. He had twice the strength of a grown man—and three times the energy. John Henry grew like an oak tree. By the time he was 10, he was a head taller than his father.

“You will be a mighty man,” said his father with pride.

“You will also be a good man,” said his mother with a smile.

And they were both right.


4

When the Civil War ended, enslaved people were set free. By this time, John Henry had grown into a powerful young man. He was known as the strongest worker on the plantation. John could easily carry 100 pounds of crops in each arm! Now that he was free, he could seek his own fortune.

So John Henry kissed his parents goodbye. Then he set off to find where in the wide world he belonged.


5

Chapter 2: A Steel-Driving ManJohn Henry walked for miles and miles. He

stopped when he saw a group of men working with hammers. They were steel-drivers, laying down railroad tracks. John Henry watched as the men hammered steel spikes into the tracks. Suddenly, his heart beat faster. “This is what I was meant to do!” he said aloud.

So John walked over to the foreman and asked him for a job. The foreman looked John Henry up and down. “You ever drive any steel before?” he asked.


6

“I’ve never done steel-driving work before,” said John Henry. “But I’m big, and I’m strong. I guarantee that you won’t be sorry if you hire me.”

The foreman handed John a hammer. “Show me what you can do,” he said.

A thin, wiry man named Little Willie held a spike for John Henry. John Henry looked intently at the spike. And with one powerful swing, he brought that hammer down.

[Art spec: Across spread. John Henry is swinging back a large hammer to strike a spike on a railroad track. We can see the muscles rippling in his large arms. A thin, wiry man is holding the spike in place. He could be Hispanic, Asian, or Native American. A Caucasian foreman is standing nearby, look-ing on. In the background, other railroad workers have stopped working to watch John Henry. They are men of mixed ethnicities—African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and Caucasian.]


7

CLANG! Sparks flew as the hammer landed directly on the head of the spike. John Henry swung a second time and then a third. That’s all it took—three blows—and the spike was set.

The foreman looked at John with awe. He’d never seen a spike driven so quickly. Usually, it took two or three men and more than a dozen hammer strikes.

“You’re hired, young man!” the foreman exclaimed, and he clapped John Henry on the back.

[Art spec: Across spread. John Henry is swinging back a large hammer to strike a spike on a railroad track. We can see the muscles rippling in his large arms. A thin, wiry man is holding the spike in place. He could be Hispanic, Asian, or Native American. A Caucasian foreman is standing nearby, look-ing on. In the background, other railroad workers have stopped working to watch John Henry. They are men of mixed ethnicities—African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and Caucasian.]


8

And that’s how John Henry became a steel-driver for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. From that day on, Little Willie worked alongside him. Every steel-driver had a partner, called a “turner.” The turner placed the spike and turned it each time it was hit. That was Little Willie’s job. John Henry and Little Willie made a great team. No team could match them, although many tried.

There wasn’t a man alive that could match John’s speed and power. He hammered for 12 hours without stopping and never missed a stroke. After a while, John began using two hammers. Each hammer weighed 14 pounds. Then he worked even faster than before. Soon word spread near and far—John Henry was the best steel-driver in the country!


True Stories About Whales Practice Page 1See Teacher Guide p. XXThe Tale of John Henry Practice Page 1See Teacher Guide pp. 68, 69, 70, 71

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True Stories About Whales Practice Page 2See Teacher Guide p. XXThe Tale of John Henry Practice Page 2See Teacher Guide p. 69

nation noun energy

location announce strategy

plantation announcing partner

dedication f ields turner

imagination chief eight

length piece weighed

strength Willie neighborhood

drive sudden rumble

drivers suddenly rumbles

driving usual rumbled

driven usually exaggerate

mean easy exaggerated

meant easily slave

intent wire enslave

intently wiry enslaved


True Stories About Whales Practice Page 3See Teacher Guide p. XXThe Tale of John Henry Practice Page 3See Teacher Guide p. 71

The machine was ahead.

The steam drill roared and hissed!

Word spread near and far.

They chose John Henry to lead the project.

I like to use a lead pencil.

Carving out the tunnel was backbreaking.

John Henry said he was meant to be a steel-driver.

John Henry was a steel-driver for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.

The foreman measured the tunnels.

John Henry and Little Willie made a great team.

John Henry had twice the strength of a grown man.

A crowd gathered on Big Bend Mountain.

John and his fellow workers made good progress.

The owners of the C & O Railroad made a decision.

John Henry was a powerful man.

He was known as the strongest worker on the plantation.

Three blows and the spike was set.

eat bread steak

cow snow


9


10

Chapter 3: Big Bend MountainThat summer, the owners of the C & O

Railroad made a decision. They would extend the railroad through the Allegheny Mountains. They chose John Henry to lead the project.

At first, John and his fellow workers made good progress. But after months of work, they came face to face with a big obstacle. The obstacle was Big Bend Mountain, and it stood right in the railroad’s path. The railroad would have to go around the mountain or through it. The railroad bosses decided to go through it.


11

Big Bend Mountain was a mile thick. The steel-drivers and turners spent their days hammering spikes into solid rock. Hour by hour, they slowly chipped away at the mountain.

But when John Henry brought his hammer down, the rock shattered like glass! John tunneled through 20 feet of mountain every day. But even at that rate, it would take months to get all the way through.


12

Carving out the tunnel was backbreaking work. To make matters worse, the days were blazing hot. The intense heat made many men feel faint. John Henry didn’t like seeing his friends sick. So he began doing their work while they rested in the shade.

When the men thanked him for his help, John just smiled. “A man’s not worth much if he doesn’t help his friends,” he said.


13

One day, a salesman came to the mountain. He brought a new steam-powered drilling machine with him. “This machine can out-drill any man,” he boasted to the foreman. “There isn’t a man alive who can do what this machine can do.”

The foreman thought quickly. If the machine and John Henry worked side by side for a day, they’d get through a lot of rock!

So he said, “I’ll put my man up against your fancy, new machine!”


14

Chapter 4: Man Against MachineThe next morning, a crowd gathered on Big

Bend Mountain. All the steel-drivers and all the turners were there to cheer John on.

John and Little Willie waited inside the tunnel on one side of the mountain. The steam drill waited on the other side. Then the foreman blew his whistle, and the contest began.

Sparks flew from John Henry’s hammers! On the other side of the mountain, the steam drill roared and hissed! At the end of two hours, the machine was ahead.


15

John Henry doubled his efforts. He swung his hammers faster and harder. The steam drill hissed and roared. By noon, John was catching up to the machine!

The contest continued through the afternoon. “John Henry doesn’t have a chance!” said the salesman. The foreman just shrugged.

When the sun went down, the foreman blew his whistle, and the contest was over.


16

The foreman measured the tunnels drilled by John Henry and the steam drill. “The machine drilled 10 feet!” he announced. “John Henry drilled 40 feet!”

The salesman left with his machine. It took some time, but John Henry, Little Willie, and the other men finished that tunnel. Some folks say that John Henry’s likeness is carved right into the rock inside. And if you listen carefully, you can hear two 14-pound hammers drilling their way to victory over the machine.


The Tale of John Henry SummarySee Teacher Guide p. 71

Read this summary with your family.

Chapter 1: An Extraordinary BoyJohn Henry was born in Virginia about 20 years before the Civil War. He and his parents were slaves. John Henry was an extraordinary boy. He had twice the strength of a grown man and three times the energy. After the Civil War, John Henry was a free man. He said goodbye to his parents and left the plantation to seek his fortune.

Chapter 2: A Steel-Driving Man

Chapter 3: Big Bend Mountain

Chapter 4: Man Against Machine


Level Q-1Fiction

Dear Family,

Please take a few moments to read this book with your child. Here are a few ideas for your book discussion.

1. Invite your child to read The Tale of John Henry aloud to you. If he or she has difficulty with a word, please provide the word. It is important that this reading be enjoyable for your child.

2. The Tale of John Henry is a fictional story. Ask your child to retell the story to you in his or her own words. Ask your child to tell you about the characters, setting, and events, and about the problem and how it was solved.

3. Ask your child to read the summary on the inside back cover of the book.

4. The activities on the tear-out practice pages in the center of the book are usually completed in school. If your child brings some of them home, please review them with him or her.

5. Invite your child to read and practice the words in the box on the inside front cover of the book.

Thank you for helping your child grow as a reader.

Sincerely,

Your child’s teacher

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