Jack's House
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 Posted by Lori Calabrese
Jack's House
Author: Karen Magnuson Beil
Illustrator: Mike Wohnoutka
Publisher: Holiday House; September 2008
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Karen Magnuson Bell and Mike Wohnoutka revisit a well-known nursery rhyme (This is the House That Jack Built). The story focuses on how Jack's house was built and all the different trucks, equipment, and materials that were used. Readers are introduced to bulldozers, backhoes, forklifts, cement trucks, etc... 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? Max the dog disagrees. In this humorous twist at the end, we learn that it was Max the dog who supervised the bulldozer "that scraped the land," drove the backhoe "that dug the cellar", etc... while Jack was busy elsewhere. This is a great find for your little construction fan! The illustrations in acrylic paint are fun and full of detail, utilizing different angles to showcase the trucks and Max is just too cute adorned with his hard hat and tool belt. Visit Mike Wohnoutka's website where you can see some sketches from Jack's House.
Download the action-packed Jack's House Teacher's Guide, featuring discussion points, word charts, classroom ideas, and lots more for preschool through grade 2!
December 30, 2008 12:00 PM
Great review, Lori, thanks! Also, wowsers about your blog ~ it has EVERYTHING! Like a hearty e-stew. And to think, I don't even know what twitter is... ugh. So much to learn.
Take care,
Susan
December 30, 2008 7:02 PM
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the compliment- it means a lot coming from someone who has such a great blog! Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Jacketflap- there's so much to figure out, isn't there? I'll keep an eye out for you on Twitter! :)
All the best,
Lori