Jack
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Beloved author-illustrator Tomie dePaola’s take on traditional “Jack tales”—in which a young hero ventures out to seek his fortune and gains it through luck or pluck—is perfect for preschoolers. His hero’s reward is a wealth of animal friends who increase in number—and volume—as the story progresses. When Jack sets out to see the world and find a place of his own, he’s surprised to attract a following of enthusiastic animal friends eager to join him on his quest. Jack and his entourage all have high hopes that they will find just what they are looking for as they travel on their merry way. Children will delight in the cumulative chorus of animal sounds as the pages get more and more crowded with the residents of this delightful kingdom.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
