When Henry and his friend agree to go to Fitchburg to see the country, they each choose very different methods of travel, based on their very different approaches to life. This charming little story illustrates through minimal text and fantastically stylized paintings the concepts Henry David Thoreau spent his life trying out. While Henry (the storybook Henry is a bear) collects flowers to press, strolls on stone walls, finds bird nests, and gathers blackberries, his friend toils and sweats to earn enough money for the train fare to Fitchburg.

With subtle nods at Thoreau and his real-life pals Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne (Henry's friend cleans out Mrs. Thoreau's chicken house, moves the bookcases in Mr. Emerson's study, and pulls weeds in Mr. Hawthorne's garden), D.B. Johnson cleverly introduces young readers to these important historical figures. No moralizing here, just a gentle, humorous look at the different paths each person may choose in life. Johnson chose a passage in Thoreau's Walden (the passage is included in the informative author's note) as inspiration for this delightful picture book, which Thoreau himself would probably be proud to read. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter


From Publishers Weekly
Freelance illustrator Johnson models his striking debut on a passage from Walden, in which Thoreau advocates journeying on foot over buying a ticket to ride. Henry, a brown bear attired in a brick-red duster and wide-brimmed sun hat, is a kinder, gentler fellow than his cantankerous inspiration. His ursine friend, wearing town clothes and conspicuously toting a pocket watch, makes plans to meet him in Fitchburg, a town 30 miles distant. Spreads contrast the pair's respective travel strategies: on the left, Henry's friend does chores for unseen Mrs. Alcott, Mr. Hawthorne and Mr. Emerson to earn train fare; right-handed pages picture a leisurely Henry examining flora and fauna, admiring the view and excavating a honey tree as he strides toward his destination. At the end of the summer day, "His friend sat on the train in a tangle of people./ Henry ate his way through a blackberry patch." Johnson inventively demonstrates Thoreau's advice with kaleidoscopic illustrations in variegated colors and gently skewed perspectives that weigh fast-paced urban existence against an unmaterialistic life in the woods. Both bears make it to Fitchburg, but Henry's friend wears a blank stare, in contrast to Henry's bright-eyed, curious gaze. Johnson implies what money can and cannot buy, and encourages slowing down to experience nature. With graceful understatement, he presents some complicated ideas assuredly and accessibly. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-A nicely realized retelling of a short passage from Henry Thoreau's Walden. Henry and his friend decide to go to Fitchburg, a town 30 miles away. "I'll walk," says Henry, but his friend decides to work for the money for a train ticket and see who gets there first. Each subsequent spread marks their progress: "Henry's friend cleaned out Mrs. Thoreau's chicken house. 10 cents./Henry crossed a swamp and found a bird's nest in the grass. 12 miles to Fitchburg." The friend arrives first, barely. "'The train was faster,' he said." "I know," Henry smiled, "I stopped for blackberries." Johnson makes this philosophical musing accessible to children, who will recognize a structural parallel to "The Tortoise and the Hare." The author quotes Thoreau's original anecdote in his endnote. The two friends are depicted as 19th-century bears in the geometric, warm-toned, pencil-and-paint illustrations. Each picture is solidly composed, and although the perspectives may seem somewhat stiff and distracting up close, they work remarkably better from a short distance. The layout and steady pace, as well, make this suitable for storytime. The somewhat open-ended resolution could allow for classroom debate, and is also simply a good ending to a good story.Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Parents' Choice®
This cheery first picture book, with appealing full-page pictures in colored pencil and paint, is a variation on the old cautionary tale about the tortoise and the hare. Two bear chums decide to make a trip to Fitchburg. Henry will hoof the distance (some 30 miles), while his nameless friend opts to work until he has "the money to buy a ticket to ride the train to Fitchburg." In leisurely fashion, Henry wades across the Sudbury River, presses ferns and flowers in the pages of a book he is carrying, walks atop stone walls, makes a raft to paddle up the Nashua River and, finally, within a stone's throw of his destination, stops to eat his way through a blackberry patch. Meanwhile his earnest friend works diligently-- moving books, filling woodboxes, sweeping the post office, pulling weeds, etc.-- in order to earn the necessary 90-cent fare to Fitchburg. Each bear achieves his goal, Henry losing the race but gaining a number of happy memories and a pail of blackberries for his train-traveling friend. Children will enjoy the slow-paced contest and probably bet on the wrong bear to win. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Recommended winner.

Reviewed by Selma G. Lanes, Parents' Choice® 2000


Review
"A masterpiece . . .The finest illustrations I've seen in years and years and years." Daniel Pinkwater, NPR Weekend Edition


Review
A Publishers Weekly Flying Start


Review
A Publishers Weekly Flying Start


Book Description
Inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau's WALDEN, this wonderfully appealing story follows two friends who have very different approaches to life. When the two agree to meet one evening in Fitchburg, which is thirty miles away, each decides to get there in his own way and have surprisingly different days.


Card catalog description
While his friend works hard to earn the train fare to Fitchburg, young Henry Thoreau walks the thirty miles through woods and fields, enjoying nature and the time to think great thoughts. Includes biographical information about Thoreau.


About the Author
Donald B. Johnson is a freelance illustrator who lives in New Hampshire. A fan of Thoreau since college, he wrote Henry Hikes to Fitchburg after a recent rereading of Walden.

ANNOTATION

While his friend works hard to earn the train fare to Fitchburg, young Henry Thoreau walks the thirty miles through woods and fields, enjoying nature and the time to think great thoughts. Includes biographical information about Thoreau.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau's WALDEN, this wonderfully appealing story follows two friends who have very different approaches to life. When the two agree to meet one evening in Fitchburg, which is thirty miles away, each decides to get there in his own way and have surprisingly different days.

SYNOPSIS

Inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau's WALDEN, this wonderfully appealing story follows two friends who have very different approaches to life. When the two agree to meet one evening in Fitchburg, which is 30 miles away, each decides to get there in his own way -- and they both have surprisingly different days.

FROM THE CRITICS

Horn Book

An auspicious picture book debut.

Children's Literature - Childrens Literature

Inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond this charming story follows the adventures of two friends who take completely different paths to reach their final destination in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Henry decides to hike the thirty miles through the countryside, exploring nature along the way--he crosses rivers and swamps, carves a walking stick, presses flowers in a book, climbs trees, and finds honey trees and blackberry bushes. While Henry walks all day and enjoys the great outdoors, his friend works around town, trying to make enough money to ride the train to Fitchburg--he sweeps the post office, paints a fence, moves bookcases, and cleans out a chicken house. Although both friends arrive at their destination around the same time, their experiences differ widely. Young readers will enjoy following along as the two stories unfold side-by-side through colorful illustrations and short passages. The author includes clever references to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne in the text and provides interesting biographical information about Thoreau. This wonderful book offers a great introduction to Thoreau's beliefs about nature and life. It will make an excellent addition to any picture book collection! 2000, Houghton Mifflin Company, Ages 4 to 8, $15.00. Reviewer: Debra Briatico

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-A nicely realized retelling of a short passage from Henry Thoreau's Walden. Henry and his friend decide to go to Fitchburg, a town 30 miles away. "I'll walk," says Henry, but his friend decides to work for the money for a train ticket and see who gets there first. Each subsequent spread marks their progress: "Henry's friend cleaned out Mrs. Thoreau's chicken house. 10 cents./Henry crossed a swamp and found a bird's nest in the grass. 12 miles to Fitchburg." The friend arrives first, barely. "`The train was faster,' he said." "I know," Henry smiled, "I stopped for blackberries." Johnson makes this philosophical musing accessible to children, who will recognize a structural parallel to "The Tortoise and the Hare." The author quotes Thoreau's original anecdote in his endnote. The two friends are depicted as 19th-century bears in the geometric, warm-toned, pencil-and-paint illustrations. Each picture is solidly composed, and although the perspectives may seem somewhat stiff and distracting up close, they work remarkably better from a short distance. The layout and steady pace, as well, make this suitable for storytime. The somewhat open-ended resolution could allow for classroom debate, and is also simply a good ending to a good story.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Karen Carden - The Christian Science Monitor

[A] beautifully designed and artfully balanced book...The antics and expressions of these bulky competitors add humor to an endearing tale.

Peggy A. Sharp - Bookbag