I, Jack [Paperback]

Patricia Finney (Author), Peter Bailey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Find out how Jack meets a Beautiful Girl Dig, goes on a Big Food Hunt, copes with some "very" superior cats, braves the fearsome Garage Dog - and has to stand alone against Big Huge Metal Monsters...

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Jack, a big yellow dog, has fallen head over paws in love with pretty Petra; when her owner finds out, she comments, "But Jack is just a Labrador and Petra is a Samoyed." Then the plot takes a different path with Petra soon becoming pregnant. A subplot involves the environmental conservation of the forest area surrounding the mill where Petra has her puppies as a new highway is soon to be built over it. Jack's overemphasized stupidity in some scenes is inconsistent with his apparent intelligence in others. On the other hand, in scenes in which his real emotions come through, his character rings true. Some readers might find the scene in which Jack chases and kills a cottontail, licks its blood off his teeth, and says, "Yum," and later "licks the inside of the bunny's skin" a bit over the top. In addition, several of the dog-language words he uses are unclear; having to refer often to the glossary slows the story. However, Finney does a good job of weaving realistically believable canine behavior and slapstick humor throughout. Jack's sincere attempts to make sense of what people are telling him are particularly funny, and the ending is upbeat. Small black-and-white drawings break up the text on many of the pages.
James K. Irwin, Nichols Library, Naperville, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. Meet Jack. Hi, hi. Pant, pant. Wag, wag. May I smell. . . . Oh, sorry. Jack is a yellow Labrador retriever. He tells us"apedogs" (excuse me, that's what he calls humans) his story in hisown words. Well, the three cats sharing his den (house) help by addingacid commentary in footnotes. A good thing, too, since Jack is verythick and sometimes gets things wrong. But he is sweet. Very, verysweet. He loves Petra, the girl dog next door. They have puppies, andthings get complicated. Jack and Petra run away. Jack's pack leader(owner) tries to find them. He has an accident, and Jack gets to be ahero. Oh, wow. Happy dog. Happy readers. Good, funny book. ShowBritish author Finney much respect. Tummy rubs all around.Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060522097
• ISBN-13: 978-0060522094
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,142,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Hound Hijinks, March 30, 2004

By 

Bess (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I, Jack (Library Binding)

If you've ever known a dog, you'll get a kick out of this book. I bought it for my 9 year old nephew and he has enjoyed reading chapters outloud to the rest of the family. And be sure to check out the footnotes written by Jack's feline sidekicks. Fun for all apedogs, large and small. Respect, Respect!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful doggie point of view!, March 27, 2004

By 

Bibliotekaria (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I, Jack (Library Binding)

What fun to experience the world through a dog's nose! Jack's narrative takes us on his adventures that center around his Pack of apedogs (human family) and the gorgeous girl dog that moves in next door. Jack expresses the full range of canine emotions from "happy dog" to "sad dog" which are tied closely to whether he is deemed "good dog" or "bad dog," and whether his tummy is full and is being rubbed.

Though he is not quite as brilliant as Lassie, this loveable Lab will make you laugh out loud by the way he interprets life. The resident cats, who only barely tolerate Jack, interject their own superior commentaries in the footnotes for clarification. Illustrations, along with a "Jackspeak" glossary at the back of the book are helpful.

Patricia Finney, Jack's interpreter, took her inspiration from her own pets, as well as Rudyard Kipling's "Thy Servant, A Dog," and also consulted books about dog psychology.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids and I laughed our heads off at this1, January 29, 2010

By 

Eustacia Vye - See all my reviews

This review is from: I, Jack (Paperback)

I got this book for my 9 year old; she LOVED Jack and urged me to read it too. I laughed my head off at Jack's antics and read it aloud to my 5 year old and 7 year old. We all had fun trying to figure out what Jack's names for various things meant; "apedogs" = humans, "flying featheries" = birds, "big white waterdish" = toilet...but if you get stumped, there's a glossary in the back.

Jack is a large, lovable, goofy yellow Lab; he's apparently not neutered and falls in love with the beautiful Samoyed next door, who has a litter of puppies as a result. But don't worry -- there is nothing graphic and we are just told that he wants to "marry" her. In his efforts to help her find a safe place to birth the pups, Jack gets involved in some shady doing's at the old mill, with hilarious and oddly poignant results.

We loved Jack and we also got a kick out of the snarky comments that The Cats (Maisie, Muskie and Remy) make in the form of footnotes to the story told by "Big Yellow Stupid," as they call him.

The author mixes humor with a good knowledge of dog psychology. Jack is a actually a pretty smart dog, though his love of food proves his undoing on more than one occasion.

Recommended for dog lovers of all ages.