Starred review from December 18, 2017
In this promising series opener, Barnett and Pizzoli introduce a mischievous monkey named Jack, a dog named Rex, and a lady named the Lady. In the first of three stories, Jack steals the Lady’s purse and goes wild with her lipstick. “Rex! Why are your lips red? Your lips are bright red!” writes Barnett in the second, poking fun at repetitive early-reader language. Barnett works wonders with a limited vocabulary, packing the stories with humor, tension—and admonishments of Jack. Given Jack’s lipstick-powered vandalism, readers will guess that the Lady’s house won’t stay “nice” for long (“Here are her white walls. Here is her nice art”). Pizzoli’s scruffy-edged, emotive cartoons are just as funny, and he carries the comedy into drawing lessons and closing endpapers. Yep, more lipstick is involved. Available simultaneously: Jack at Bat. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
December 1, 2017
A new early-reader series by award-winning picture-book creators introduces a mischievous monkey named Jack and his dog, Rex. The Lady, a stooped, elderly white woman introduced in the first chapter, provides the voices of reason, discipline, and forgiveness. Brief chapters with just one or two lines of text on each page ease new readers into the skills of reading. Uncluttered pages, repeated words and sentence structures, and familiar word families (Jack, back, snack) help new readers succeed. Pizzoli's simple, expressive drawings give visual clues to actions and emotions. Adult assistance may be needed for the youngest readers to recognize the few sight words and subtle word differences such as "her" and "here." "How to draw" pages at the back extend the reading experience. The second in the series, Jack at Bat, features the same characters in a baseball game that goes exactly as one would expect with a dog playing left field and a monkey as bat boy. Home plate mysteriously disappears. Jack falls asleep, almost saves the day, and is distracted by snacks. With a nod to diversity, both teams field humans of a variety of ages and shades of brown. Some wear glasses. Still, some adults may not appreciate that the "Ladies" are playing the "Brats." Both teams are equally unhappy with the outcome--a tie.Jack may be naughty, but he is good for new readers. Happily, Jack has two more adventures planned for May 2018. (Early reader. 4-8)
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Starred review from July 8, 2019
In this promising beginning-reader series opener, Barnett and Pizzoli introduce a mischievous rabbit named Jack, a lady named “the Lady,” and a dog named Rex. In the first of three stories, Jack “comes down from his tree to make a friend,” then steals the Lady’s purse and goes wild with her lipstick (“Bad Jack!... Jack, give her bag back”). “Rex! Why are your lips red? Your lips are bright red!” writes Barnett in the second tale, simultaneously using and poking fun at repetitive early reader language. Given Jack’s lipstick-powered vandalism, readers will guess that the Lady’s house shown in the third tale—“Here are her white walls. Here is her nice art” —won’t stay pristine for long. Barnett works wonders with a limited vocabulary, packing the stories with humor, tension—and admonishments of Jack. Pizzoli’s scruffy-edged, emotive cartoons are just as funny, and he carries the comedy into drawing lessons and closing endpapers. Yep, more lipstick is involved. Available simultaneously: Jack Blasts Off! Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.) Note: A previous review of this title ran in PW in December 2017; the book was subsequently pulled and retooled.
January 1, 2018
Grades K-1 Here the creators of I Love You like a Pig (2017) kick off a series of level-one easy readers (this copublishes with Jack at Bat) starring a simply drawn cartoon monkey in a yellow shirt who makes Curious George look like a choir-primate. Living in a tree over a scrum of discarded trash, Jack waves a friendly hello to a gray-haired lady, then snatches her purse, and steals lipstick from itfirst to draw lips on himself and on dog Rex and then to tag Rex and the invitingly white walls of the lady's house with his name. Virtuous new readers will happily chime in on Barnett's large-type narrative, which is largely composed of repetitive judgments: Bad Jack! / Jack, you are bad. Step-by-step drawings for the three main characters at the end add an art lesson to this natural companion to Jack Gantos' Rotten Ralph books or Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty (2005).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2020
We first meet Jack, a baseball-capped rabbit, as he waves hello, munches on snacks, and--swipes a woman's purse?! This initial encounter in Hi, Jack! sets the tone for the first four installments of Barnett and Pizzoli's easy-reader series: a roller coaster of sour and sweet moments for Jack, his dog friend Rex, and the nameless Lady. (Once he returns her purse. And her lipstick.) Jack makes trouble wherever he goes, from the baseball field (Jack at Bat) to outer space (Jack Blasts Off!), and the direct-address narration instructs him to mend his ways (in a not-always-constructive manner: "Jack, you are bad. You are a bad Jack. A bad, bad Jack"). Barnett makes creative use of a limited and largely decodable vocabulary for comedic effect, which invites beginners to read with expression and confidence. Pizzoli's illustrations, full of bold outlines and saturated colors, amplify the energy and dynamism in each story line. The text and illustrations work in tandem, sharing the weight of the narrative and blurring the lines between the picture book and easy reader genres while conforming to the physical specifications of the latter. This series promises an energetic romp through the good, the bad, and the bunny.
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2020
Jack at Bat by Mac Barnett; illus. by Greg Pizzoli Primary Viking 80 pp. 2/20 978-0-593-11382-0 $9.99 Jack Blasts Off! by Mac Barnett; illus. by Greg Pizzoli Primary Viking 80 pp. 9/19 978-0-593-11385-1 $9.99 Jack Goes West by Mac Barnett; illus. by Greg Pizzoli Primary Viking 80 pp. g 2/20 978-0-593-11388-2 $9.99 We first meet Jack, a baseball-capped rabbit, as he waves hello, munches on snacks, and�? swipes a woman's purse?! This initial encounter in Hi, Jack! sets the tone for the first four installments of Barnett and Pizzoli's easy-reader series: a roller coaster of sour and sweet moments for Jack, his dog friend Rex, and the nameless Lady. (Once he returns her purse. And her lipstick.) Jack makes trouble wherever he goes, from the baseball field (Jack at Bat) to outer space (Jack Blasts Off!), and the direct-address narration instructs him to mend his ways (in a not-always-constructive manner: "Jack, you are bad. You are a bad Jack. A bad, bad Jack"). Barnett makes creative use of a limited and largely decodable vocabulary for comedic effect, which invites beginners to read with expression and confidence. Pizzoli's illustrations, full of bold outlines and saturated colors, amplify the energy and dynamism in each story line. The text and illustrations work in tandem, sharing the weight of the narrative and blurring the lines between the picture book and easy reader genres while conforming to the physical specifications of the latter. This series promises an energetic romp through the good, the bad, and the bunny. Grace McKinney
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2019
A bunny behaves badly. But is he all bad? In the first of three chapters, an unnamed narrator immediately breaks the fourth wall and introduces a bunny named Jack (presumably a jackrabbit, given his name). Ever the friendly, pizza-loving mammal, Jack waves a cheerful hello to readers. But the mood shifts when the Lady comes along. Jack descends from his treehouse to snatch the elderly human woman's purse. "Bad Jack!" scolds the narrator. "Jack, give that back!" Jack does--but not before using the Lady's lipstick on himself! Subsequent chapters detail Jack's further misbehaviors involving a farm dog named Rex and another encounter with the Lady in her home. The interplay between Barnett's verbal and Pizzoli's visual humor results in rollicking surprises at almost every page turn. Repetition and a total word count of fewer than 90 words (at most 17 per page) provide ample support (and entertainment) to emerging readers. Pizzoli's technique combines firm black outlines, solid fill, and printlike backgrounds, creating textured, wonderfully expressive cartoon illustrations. Sequel Jack Blasts Off! publishes simultaneously and takes the duo's winning formula into an outer-space setting--proving that good manners really do transcend species. Both books end with instructions on how to draw various characters. Adult readers may note that Jack's too-consistent wickedness combines with minimal consequences to send mixed messages. Bad bunny. (Mostly) good book. (Early reader. 5-8)
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