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John Henry is a spirited African-American legend who famously challenged a steam drill to a contest on a West Virginia railroad.

Adapted by Julius Lester; Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (1994)

Winner of the Caldecott Medal

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More about John Henry:

The first "John Henry" novel was written by Roark Bradford in 1931.

It is not certain whether an actual person named John Henry ever existed, though his existence has been challenged. However, there was certainly a tunnel built in the Allegheny Mountains on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in Summers County, West Virginia between 1870-1873.

It is thought that an ex-slave named John Henry was among those working on the Big Bend Tunnel. "John Henry" is a Black folk ballad, with many versions, the origin of which is unknown. Lesters tale of John Henry is based on several versions of this ballad.