Adventures of High John the Conqueror
August House · Print & ebook · January 10, 2006
A Folklore pick for readers exploring Adventures of High John the Conqueror.
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- Who it’s for
- High John’s trickster tales pair resourcefulness and courage with historical context about slavery.
- Themes
- Resourcefulness and courage, Resistance to oppression
- Genres
- African Myths & Legends, US: African American Stories, Country & Ethnic Folktales
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Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Country & Ethnic Folktales.
African-american FolktalesRichard Young, Judy Dockrey Young55% matchAlso shares US: African American Stories
The People Could FlyVirginia Hamilton55% matchAlso shares US: African American Stories
A Pride of African TalesDonna L. Washington52% matchAlso shares African Myths & Legends
Anansi and the Moss-covered RockEric A. Kimmel51% matchAlso shares African Myths & Legends
American Tall TalesMary Pope Osborne51% match
For older readers: Nightjohn, Sarny, African Town
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Start with this bookAbout this book
American Library Association Notable Children's Book & International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice High John the Conqueror, sometimes called simply High John or John, was a slave trickster who always outwit Old Master. Much like Greek slaves and Aesop's animal characters, High John was the subject of a series of subversive narratives, whose mission was to outsmart his oppressors.
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Tall tales of High John's exploits flourished during slavery, but after emancipation they fell out of circulation and his antics were all but forgotten. Sanfield's skillful storytelling combined with simple black and white illustrations will transport readers to a different time. Sanfield weaves in historical context with this folktale about resourcefulness and courage. Steve Sanfield is an award-winning author, poet and storyteller, as well as the founder of the Sierra Storytelling Festival. One of the pioneers of the American storytelling renaissance, he has been honored with the first leadership award from the National Storytelling Association, a Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network, and a lifetime Achievement Award from the Storytelling Association of California.
High John’s Trickery
High John’s trickster tales pair resourcefulness and courage with historical context about slavery.
Come here for
- High John’s tales of outwitting Old Master
- Historical context woven into a folktale
Expect
- A resourceful enslaved trickster
- Simple black-and-white illustrations
Where it sits
| US: African American Stories | 52% |
|---|---|
| African Myths & Legends | 44% |
| Country & Ethnic Folktales | 24% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- US: African American Stories
- Fairy Tales & Folklore
- Myths & Fables
- Authors
- Steve Sanfield
- Publisher
- August House
- Published
- January 10, 2006
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Resourcefulness and courage · Resistance to oppression
- Reading lane
- US: African American Stories