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|---|---|---|
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 398.2 French | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Independence Public Library | J PICTURE BOOK - FRENCH | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A retelling of the misadventures of Lazy Jack who can never do anything right, but people find his mishaps so funny that they employ him anyway.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3Although this classic folktale has been offered in picture-book format numerous times, French's new version deserves a place on the shelf for its language alone. Nicely told in a pure storyteller's voice, it must be read aloud. The cadence, pacing, repetition, and vocabulary flow with the story as the hapless boy works for someone new each day and carries home his payment inappropriately each time. There is no beautiful mute girl who is made to laugh at the end; rather, the merchants, including a female farmer and fishmonger, laugh so long and loud at the silly boy's antics that they all promise him a job. Ayto's ink-and-watercolor cartoonlike pictures fill the pages in a style reminiscent of Sendak's early work. Jack has his eyes closed throughout the book because, as the artist claims on the back flap, he ``...seemed to be more sleepy than lazy.'' A pleasure to read and a sure success in story hour.Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"With such good humor permeating both text and art, this tale suddenly seems worth retelling," said PW. Ages 4-up. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Appealing, cartoonlike artwork, characterized by rounded figures and a soft color scheme, accompanies French's traditional retelling of the familiar folktale. Sent by his mother to work with a different tradesperson each day, Lazy Jack continually misinterprets her directions for bringing home his payment, with comical results. A predictable but amusing tale. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this fine retelling of a classic tale, Jack's mom drags him out of bed to work with a succession of employers, but he just can't manage to get his wages home. Far from being lazy, though, the heavy-lidded lad labors industriously and makes his bosses laugh so heartily that, rather than scorn him, they want him back. French (Under the Moon, 1994, etc.) has come up with a different--and nicely appropriate--ending for a story widely available in collections and single editions, and Ayto's squiggly illustrations, which feature Jack sleepwalking his way through task after task, capture the silly, physical humor perfectly. Funny, nonviolent, and mildly subversive, few folktales have such wide-ranging appeal; this is a particularly readable version. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ages 4^-8. "There was no one as lazy as Lazy Jack. He got out of bed in the afternoon and he yawned and he stretched and he ate and he drank and he burped. Then he went back to bed. . . ." French retells an old favorite with droll humor, simple repetition, and a wonderful rhythm for reading aloud. When Jack's mother manages to get him a job with a builder, Jack loses his wages on the way home, and she tells him he should have put the coin in his pocket. So at his next job, when the farmer pays him with a jug of milk, Jack pours the milk into his pockets to keep it safe. Each time he remembers what his mother told him and applies it in the wrong way. Ayto's slightly blurry watercolor-and-ink cartoons capture the silliness of the gentle farce. Some illustrations are like a comic strip, with several frames to a page; then there's a full-page picture for the climax of each catastrophe. Whether Jack is snoring in bed or awake and working, he always has his eyes tightly closed. Any child who's messed up with the best intentions will love the disaster tale and will relish Jack's sweet revenge. --Hazel Rochman