The House That Jack Built - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184148251X ISBN 13: 9781841482514

Publisher: Barefoot Books, 2001

Synopsis

An illustrated version of the cumulative nursery rhyme about the chain of events that started when Jack built a house.

About this title

Review:

Bringing back a repetitive rhyme from the old school, illustrator (and kids' book first-timer) Diana Mayo populates a house and the surrounding farm with all manner of cats, cows, and crowing cocks.

Not everyone's going to remember this rhyming story word for word (especially many kids), but a few lines should begin to refresh most memories: "This the house that Jack built. / This is the malt / That lay in the house that Jack built. / This is the rat / That ate the malt / That lay in the house that Jack built." Kids will enjoy chiming in on the repetition from there, as the story builds to include a cat (to chase the rat), a dog (to worry the cat), a cow with a crumpled horn (to toss the dog), and a cast of others, all the way up to 10 lines in the end. There's even a love interest to keep you guessing: What will happen to the "maiden all forlorn"? Will the "shaven and shorn" priest wake up in time to marry her to the "man all tattered and torn"?

The rhyme is a classic, and a good one. And Mayo's fun style carries the characters and their interrelationships energetically, with clean compositions and bold colors that make the progression easy to follow. (Although that dog who keeps getting tossed by the cow seems to be having just a little too much fun.) (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

About the Author:

Diana Mayo has a BA in Graphic Design and Illustration from Kingston University in southeast England. She draws her inspiration from folk tales and myths from around the world, and revels in strong colour and lively detail. Diana has also worked with Barefoot Books on The Gingerbread Man (978-1-84148-930-8) and Winter King, Summer Queen, relaunched this Spring (978-1-84148-356-6).

About this edition

• Publisher: Barefoot Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 184148251X
• ISBN 13: 9781841482514
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 24
• Illustrator: Mayo Diana