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32 pp.
| Hyperion/Jump |
June, 2000 |
TradeISBN 0-7868-0349-5$$15.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jacqueline Rogers.
Looking a little like John Henry, the big, strong man in this story fancies that he can do anything, but the catlike creatures in the "big, spooky house" get the best of him. Although this scary tale with its frequent refrain lends itself to storytelling, the text falls a bit flat in the end. The author's note doesn't state any particular origin for this traditional tale, but the detailed watercolors are peopled with nineteenth-century African Americans.