Henry wants to climb a mountain, and nothing is going to stop him. Then Sam, the tax collector, puts him in jail for not paying his taxes. Henry refuses to pay to a state that allows slavery. But being locked up doesn’t stop Henry. He still gets to splash in rivers, swing from trees, and meet a stranger. This bear, modeled on the real Henry David Thoreau, roams free.

D.B. Johnson has written another lovely tale following his succesful Henry Hiles to Fitchburg. Henry is on his way to pick up his shoe at the cobbler's when he is thrown into jail for not paying his taxes. This is a true story. He refuses to pay because he does not believe in slavery. With whimsical illustrations, we join Henry in his "hike". ( )

This book is a fun, imaginative rendition of the life of Henry David Thoreau. The story features a bear as the title character, who is locked in jail for a night after refusing to pay his taxes. This book would be appropriate for a younger audience because it uses simple words and short sentences, and the pictures are colorful and detailed. It also includes a short blurb about the real Henry, which could be useful for a nonfiction source about Thoreau.

A brief recount of Henry David Thoreau's one night in jail, this book depicts Henry as a bear who gets thrown in jail for not paying his taxes. During his time there, he begins to draw scenes of the outdoors, and the drawing comes to life, taking him on an adventure over the top of a mountain before he returns back to hi jail cell the next morning.

In my opinion this is a powerful book that many students and teacher's would find interesting. Before I read the book, I predicted that it was just about a bear named Henry who climbed a mountain, but once I started reading the book, it was not as I thought it would be. It literally is that book that you cannot judge the book by its cover. The story in general is very interesting and strong because you don't expect this to even happen to a bear. I also liked how the illustrations are colorful, but their not bright colors because of the setting. You would think the lighting was bright of the illustrations, but it is not. The character was well developed and the author actually thought a lot about the character and his experience because you can tell how he also used his imagination to make a book out this amazing real life person. Yes, the main character of this book is actually based on a real life event and person, but the author turned the person into a bear so it can be more intriguing. This is a book that can be used in a social studies class because the person who the story is based on is actually a person who inspired Martin Luther King Jr. This is why I thought this book was very powerful with its message and in general. I even liked how at the end of the book, it gives you a background of who the main character is based on in real life. I would definitely use this book as a lesson for social studies class and this can even be used in a college class for students who want to become teachers. There are many class activities you can do with this book. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. ( )