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Summary
Summary
In this imaginative interpretation of the nursery rhyme "The House That Jack Built," young Jack builds an amazing fort in the middle of the living room, using the chairs, blankets, and other objects on hand. Unfortunately, those objects belong to his family members, so when they want their things back-there goes the walls and roof! Jack struggles to keep his fortress going as it crumbles piece by piece. Finally, Grandma saves the day with her quilts for a sweet, satisfying ending filled with family fun. Boni Ashburn's text is brought to life by acclaimed illustrator Brett Helquist, whose lively style takes this tale beyond the living room and into the world of adventure.
Praise for The Fort That Jack Built
"Helquist's colorful illustrations truly capture the active imaginative play of youngsters in this humorous variation of the nursery rhyme."
--Booklist
"Rich but retro color palette."
--Kirkus Reviews
Author Notes
Boni Ashburn is the author of Hush, Little Dragon ; Over at the Castle ; and I Had a Favorite Dress . She lives in Houghton, Michigan. Brett Helquist is the illustrator of the Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket, Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, and many other novels. He's also illustrated several picture books. He lives in Brooklyn.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Ashburn continues to mine traditional nursery rhymes with this reimagining of "The House That Jack Built." This time, Jack is a little boy who collects various items from around the house to construct a fort in front of the living room TV. But little by little, starting with the dog that pulls at the curtain, the structure is dismantled. Jack's sisters, brother, and parents reclaim the chairs, books, curtains, sheets, and other borrowed bits while Jack tries in vain to fend them off with his toy weapons. Left with just the coffee table and a sympathetic grandma, he finally builds a much smaller and cozier hideaway. The story starts out with a strong rhyme scheme that falters later on in the text. (Perhaps it's all those phrases set off by parentheses-and hyphens-and exclamations that tend to trip up someone trying to read the story aloud.) Helquist's muted pictures created with oil on a digital print illustrate each scene but they sometimes chop up the verse unevenly. Although there are many opportunities to bring out the playfulness of the concept, Jack usually looks angry and the other characters have static expressions. Overall, a missed opportunity for a clever presentation.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
All items that go into a living-room fort come from somewhere, and those doing the building don't always think to ask permission before appropriating them. This is the astute observation made by Ashburn (I Had a Favorite Dress) in her anti-cumulative tale that riffs on the "House That Jack Built" nursery rhyme. Among those reclaiming objects that have been borrowed to build one such fort are young Jack's sopping wet teenage sister, who was clearly in the tub when her brother nabbed the shower curtain. Soon, Jack's mighty fort, once adorned with "Keep Out" and skull-and-crossbones signs, is no more: "Without sheets or pillows, the curtain, books, chair/ Jack's fort's not the same as it was under there./ New holes, gap, and cracks, and way too much sag.../ almost collapsed the fort that Jack built." Helquist's (Grumpy Goat) chronicle of the fort's disassembly veers too much toward tableau, and the colors are curiously muted. But his Jack is a spirited fellow with expressive features and plenty of righteous indignation to win readers' sympathy and inspire a little insurrection. To the sofa cushion barricades! Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.