I, Jack [Turtleback]

Patricia Finney (Author)

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (November 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606344837
• ISBN-13: 978-0606344838
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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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.