Jack's House - Softcover

Beil, Karen Magnuson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0823422429 ISBN 13: 9780823422425

Publisher: Holiday House, 2009

Synopsis

Construction-equipment loving boys will adore this humourous twist on the classic nursery rhyme. Someone has done a lot of work building a house. Someone has been operating a cement mixer, driving a bulldozer, and using a forklift to build walls, frame windows, and nail down a roof. Someone has built a big, strong home for Jack. But is this the house that Jack built? One tired puppy dog disagrees in this story about getting what you work for. 

About this title

About the Author

Karen Magnuson Beil is a former reporter for Chicago's City News Bureau and has also worked as an editor and science writer. She has written several books for children; including "Fire in Their Eyes". A New England native, she now lives in New York State with her family.

Mike Wohnoutka is the acclaimed illustrator of more than 20 children's books. His books include Moo!, which was an ALA Notable Book and Little Puppy and the Big Green Monster, which is his first book as author and illustrator. Mike's other titles have won numerous awards, including the National Jewish Book Award, Society of Illustrators Original Art Show, and the Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Mike lives with his wife and two children in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit Mike on his website: mikewohnoutka.com

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—A wonderful twist on an age-old rhyme. This book actually focuses on the building of the house, and the many hands (or paws) that it takes to make it. You see, while Jack the homeowner (a human) takes credit for its construction, it is actually Max, a hardworking general contractor dog, and a number of other skilled canine laborers, who do all the work. So at the end of the story, it's easy to understand why Max gets a little upset at Jack resting on his laurels at the finished site. What he does to Jack results in a laugh-out-loud moment and a neat flip of the ongoing power struggle between builder and owner. Wohnoutka's full-page acrylic paintings are large scale, but are also full of small details for readers to enjoy. The vehicles that drive up to the site delivering materials and excavating are rugged and tough, appealing to the construction enthusiasts, but the soaring house is the centerpiece of the story, and Max's care in building it is obvious. This beguiling book will be a hit both at storytimes and in circulating collections, for those who really want to know how Jack's house got built.—Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ
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About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0823422429
• ISBN 13: 9780823422425
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Wohnoutka Mike