The House That Jack Built

The House That Jack Built

Ergodebooks.com ReviewBringing 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 HughesAn illustrated version of the cumulative nursery rhyme about the chain of events that started when Jack built a house.From Publishers Weeklyicture book newcomer Diana Mayo gives a fresh coat of paint to The House That Jack Built. She illustrates the time-honored cumulative rhyme with crisp lines, detailed vistas and zesty colors, and the human expressions on the beleaguered animals add to the fun.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From BooklistAge 2-5. Here's a version of a classic that grown-ups will want to share with young children; it's an "oh-I-remember-that-one" winner. The bold folk-style acrylic illustrations with their whimsical details perfectly match the situations in the rhyme. The malt, rat, cat, dog, and cow are all present, of course, as are the forlorn maiden, the tattered and torn man, the shaven and shorn priest. What's special here is the dog, a little Boston Terrier, who plays a surprisingly comical role. Each time he gets tossed by the cow with the crumpled horn, he goes head-over-heels with an expression that's utterly priceless. Big and bold as the pictures are, they encourage close attention to detail. And of course, children will relish repeating the rhymes as they gather pace in this rollicking, bounce-on-the-knee classic. Shelley Townsend-HudsonCopyright ? American Library Association. All rights reserved