Jack

Starred review from May 19, 2014
In this small treasure from master
storyteller dePaola, a young man named Jack is seen in a half-timbered house, a quill and a candle on the desk behind him. His direct gaze and tranquil half-smile give him the air of a medieval saint. “Grandpa,” he says, “I want to see the world and make new friends and live in a house in the city.” “Why don’t you go to the city and ask the king?” Grandpa suggests kindly. Jack sets off, meeting a series of animals who ask him where he’s going. “We’re going to the city to ask the king for a house,” he tells each one in traditional fairy tale style. Before long he’s assembled a riotous, Bremen Town Musician–like group of animals who moo, bah, oink, and whoo all the way to the city. Their cries, carved on rubber stamps, are scattered on the pages, creating the visual equivalent of a cheerful din. And because it’s a fairy tale, the king gives them a house big enough for everyone. As a bonus, many spreads hide scenes from familiar nursery rhymes, adding to the book’s readaloud charm. Ages 3–5.

July 1, 2014
A new tale from dePaola is always a reason to cheer, and this riff on "Jack" tale variants will bring smiles.In this cumulative folk tale, Jack lives on a tiny farm with his grandpa. He tells his grandpa that he wants new friends and to live in the city, and off he goes. Along the way, he encounters a series of animals that join him on the journey-11 to be exact. Chick, duck, goose, dog, frog, pig, cow, cat, sheep, horse and owl (and a crow that's unmentioned in the text but nevertheless makes a lot of noise) parade along behind Jack to the king's castle. When Jack requests a house in the city for him and his friends, the king says he has a perfect house, though it "might need some fixing up." The decrepit, boarded-up building makes that quite an understatement, but Jack and company tackle the rehab with gusto. Voila, a bright fuchsia house with a window for each of the animals. DePaola eschews a traditional happily-ever-after ending with tongue-in-cheek comments from an old man and old woman: He grumbles, "There goes the neighborhood." And she chuckles, "It's about time!" Repeated rubber stamps of each animal's sound (and individualized colors) add zip (and noise) to dePaola's signature style and palette.Adults who have been through the ordeal of a fixer-upper may appreciate the ending more than kids, but everyone will enjoy the fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

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July 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-In this spin on traditional folktales, Jack yearns to "see the world and make new friends and live in a house in the city." His grandfather advises him to seek the king's counsel. Setting off on his quest, the country boy encounters a chick that asks to come along. In cumulative fashion, a duck, a goose, a dog, and others soon join the joyful parade. When the motley crew arrive at the palace, the king presents them with keys to a big, dilapidated house. The final scene reveals a cacophony of animal sounds coming from the fixer-upper and an old man grumbling, "There goes the neighborhood." His wife wittily quips, "And it's about time." DePaola's trademark illustrations are warmly inviting and feature many nursery-rhyme characters in the backgrounds, such as Jack and Jill heading up a hill and Little Red Riding Hood entering the forest. Preschoolers will root for the plucky hero as he pursues his dreams and eagerly chime in with the pleasing repetitive phrases.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Preschool-G In this clever riff on a traditional story motif, dePaola employs his considerable charms to tell the story of a young man from a small village who sets off to meet the king and seek his fortune. Along the way, young Jack encounters and collects a bevy of barnyard animals, each of whom asks to accompany him on his quest. When they reach their destination, the king gives them the keys to a fixer-upper, where Jack and his menagerie will live, presumably, happily ever after. Throughout, dePaola embellishes his story with rich visual detail, including vividly colored printed sound effects, from Jack's squeaky new shoes to the animals' sounds, which afford a visual representation of the burgeoning cacophony. Careful viewers will also catch little nods to familiar nursery rhymes along the journey. There is an added depth to dePaola's recognizable style, with a combination of subtly varied textures and brilliant color applied to a vellum surface, giving the outing a traditional grounding and a contemporary flair. There goes the neighborhood, and it never looked better.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
Farm boy Jack wants to live in the city. Along the way, he picks up a chick, duck, goose, etc., each one declaring its own interest in city digs. Young children will like the simple pattern of the story as well as the cumulating sound effects. DePaola dresses the journey in his most sumptuous colors, with a landscape of deep greens, grays, and purples.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2014
Farm boy Jack wants to make new friends and live in the city, which is exactly what he does in this minimally plotted book. On his way to ask the king for a house, Jack picks up a chick, a duck, a goose, a dog, etc., each one declaring its own interest in city digs, thus providing Jack with a community of ten new friends upon whom the king is happy to bestow a nice fixer-upper. While the lack of any conflict or obstacles means we aren't that invested in Jack's fate, young children will like the simple pattern of the story as well as the cumulating sound effects offered for each animal as it joins the merry band. DePaola dresses the journey in his most sumptuous colors, the carrot-topped hero and his ever-growing group of friends traversing a landscape of deep greens and grays and purple farmhouses to their new home, bright pink in the heart of the city. Storytime audiences will enjoy the trip as well as the sly cameo appearances by nursery-rhyme favorites such as Jack and Jill and Miss Muffet's eight-legged friend. roger sutton

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)