Jack

(Hardback)

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Description

When Jack set 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. 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.

Reviews

* [A] small treasure from master storyteller dePaola. . . . Before long hes assembled a riotous, Bremen Town Musicianlike 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. . . . As a bonus, many spreads hide scenes from familiar nursery rhymes, adding to the books readaloud charm. Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

DePaolas trademark illustrations are warmly inviting and feature many nursery-rhyme characters in the backgrounds. . . . Preschoolers will root for the plucky hero as he pursues his dreams and eagerly chime in with the pleasing repetitive phrases. School Library Journal

A new tale from dePaola is always a reason to cheer, and this riff on Jack tale variants will bring smiles. . . . Repeated rubber stamps of each animals sound (and individualized colors) add zip (and noise) to dePaolas signature style and palette. . . . Everyone will enjoy the fun. Kirkus Reviews

Clever riff on a traditional story motif. . . . dePaola embellishes his story with rich visual detail, including vividly colored printed sound effects . . . which afford a visual representation of the burgeoning cacophony. . . . There is an added depth to dePaolas recognizable style, with a combination of subtly varied textures and brilliant color . . . giving the outing a traditional grounding and a contemporary flair. There goes the neighborhood, and it never looked better. Booklist

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. . . . Storytime audiences will enjoy the trip as well as the sly cameo appearances by nursery-rhyme favorites. The Horn Book

Author Bio

Tomie dePaola (www.tomie.com) is the acclaimed author and/or illustrator of more than 200 books for children. He has received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, a Newbery Honor for 26 Fairmount Avenue and a Caldecott Honor for Strega Nona. He was awarded the Smithson Medal, the Regina Medal, was designated a "living treasure" by the state of New Hampshire, and received the 2012 Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Society of Illustrators. He lives in New London, New Hampshire.