The book "John Henry" by Julius Lester and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is a Caldecott Honor book. Apparently, this project was not their first collaboration; Pinkney and Lester completed a four-volume collection of "The Tales of Uncle Remus".
Pinkney, a three-time Caldecott Honor artist, did gorgeous watercolors for "John Henry". The watercolors use achromatic neutrals: like gray, black and brown--which makes the occasional use of a vivid color, like red, stand out even more. For example, the cover shows the protagonist, John Henry, sitting down. He wears dark clothing, the background is a combination of dark greens and grays; his tools are gray. However, he wears a red scarf around his neck. The red in contrast with the potpourri of muted neutral dark tones seems more vivid. I noticed this technique throughout the book, where most everything is cast in neutral tones and then one or two images are painted with an attention-grabbing color like turquoise, red or orange.
The book is based on ballad about an African-American folk hero named John Henry; scholars doubt his authenticity. The Big Bend Tunnel, built in the 1870s, in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia is the site of the folk ballad. John Henry, the folk hero, was a hard working man who--according to the story--almost single-handedly built the tunnel. As a result of his hard work, he died.
The crux of the story can be summed up in a quote from the book; one character said about John Henry, "Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living." It's a good story for kids since it introduces them to the idea of folklore. Good moral, decent story, vivid watercolors.
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