Ultimately, Osborn succeeds in using idiom of the period that is immediately accessible through various venues of popular culture (she describes Crockett as seeming to "be half varmint") and weaves the language of the legend into the story. This differs significantly from Fritz' work in that the story of Pocahontas involves primarily third person language and modern idiom with none of the tall-tale style phrasing. Overall, this story differs significantly from that of Fritz' work in that it challenges the reader to simultaneously deal with the fact and the legend - something that might be confusing for younger readers, but remains quite effective.
Finally, there is Julius Lester's John Henry. John Henry was a purportedly actual (his reality has been up for debate) rail-road worker who was certainly larger in physical stature and stronger than most people, but he certainly could not have accomplished what legend would credit him with. Again, this is in the vein of Davy Crockett in that it takes up the story of a real man around whom has been spun tall tales of absolutely incredibly unbelievable events. Like Osborn, Lester begins his book on John Henry with a preface recognizing the legends and folklore that surround his subject. The illustrations within the book are very similar to Osborn's in that they are fanciful (a Unicorn appears in one) that lead one to follow that the story of John Henry is certainly more fiction than fact and fully support the text in this manner. but, while Osborn infuses actual history into her story, Lester is relatively unable to do so. Rather, he looks at the meaning of John Henry to the African-Americans of the post-war era when blacks were relatively free but had virtually no options for success and no heroes. This book, then, is an exploration of the emotional need that the story of John Henry filled - which gave license to the author to fully embrace more fiction and legend than fact. The challenge for...
Pocahontas, Davy Crockett, and John Henry all are parts of the entire American folklore and are therefore part of all of our stories. How each author treats their subject, however, does differ along with their subjects. Pocahontas is treated as an important figure from an emotional point-of-view, Davy Crockett is found within the fiction of his legend, John Henry is seen as representative of the power and significance of African-American labor in the 19th century. In each of these books, illustrations are used to focus the reader on the important details of the story. In Pocahontas, illustrations are illustrative of literal events. For Davy Crockett and John Henry, the illustrations are fanciful, abstractions that are designed with a dual purpose: to create a sense of the fiction and fact, and to support the events of the text. All three of these books succeed in their purpose - all three are engaging, interesting, and present historical figures in three different manners.
What the authors achieve is significant in that they bring history to life in three very different ways. Fritz creates a historical context around which little fiction exists. Osborn effectively blends the two while Lester embraces the full legend. In all three cases, there is a sense that the subject is less important than the impact they have had on our culture and history - which, ultimately, is what history exists to do.
References
Fritz, Jean. The Double Life of Pocahontas. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 2002.
Lester, Julius. John Henry. New York: Puffin, 1999.
Osborn, Mary Pope. American Tall Tales. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1991.
