Customer Reviews

I, Jack

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This is a great story told from the perspective of the dog. The unconventional format was enlightening to our child who is used to reading stories told by little girls or other narrators.

I came across this book in a Goodwill pile and paid all of 49 cents for it. What a gem! I read several chapters in the car before I left the parking lot and laughed out loud! Brought it home to my 13 year old son who finished it faster than any book I've known him to read, and just lent it to my adult (over 50) male office mate this morning. He and the book have disappeared (hmmm) so it must be reminding him of his older yellow lab. I don't know which is funnier, Jack or the cats' commentaries. I am not even a "dog person" and think this book is a lot of fun. You know that dogs must be thinking this sort of thing, and cats as well. I recommend this book to anyone, any age... it is a hoot. And I am glad to see that Jack has written another book recently!

I bought this book for my 7 year old daughter at her school book fair, along with several other paperbacks. She devoured it and kept insisting that I read it. I said ok, thinking I want to encourage her love of reading and knowing how much fun it is to recommend a good book to someone so you can then talk about it when they are finished. I did not expect to enjoy it so thoroughly, however! I laughed right out loud, highly recommnended it to my husband when I was finished, and read it to my younger son soon after I had finished it the first time. I laughed while reading it to him, too! If you've ever wondered what the heck a dog must be thinking to do what he/she does, this book is of tremendous help. I often find myself thinking in Jack-terms when dealing with our 18 month old Chocolate Lab. I just purchased the next Jack book and thought I'd take a minute to add my positive review of the first.

My 9 year old sons and I have laughed ourselves silly reading aloud this book. The author does a wonderful job of getting inside the mind of a big goofy yellow lab. Jack's "voice" could fit every labrador I've ever met. The boys could easily read it on their own, but reading it aloud is so much more fun. Even kids who don't like to read would have a hard time putting down this book.

I bought this book for my 8 year old son because he borrowed it from the library & loved it so much he had to have it! The book is written exactly how you imagine a dog's mind works. Scattered, happy, excited - he bounces from one thing to the next without pause. Fun book to read with your child, especially if you are a dog lover!

Reluctant readers will actually clamor to read this book aloud to others because of the howls of laughter that ensue. Jack, in his exuberant love of life and canine innocence, is a most engaging character.

Jack is a yellow Labrador retriever who has many adventures. He lives with his Packleader, Tom; his Pack Lady, Charlie; and their children, Terri, Pete and Mikey. Jack often likes to talk about his adventures, which include interpretive footnotes from the three cats that live with him. The cats' names are Remy, Maisie and Muskie. They call Jack "The Big Yellow Stupid" for reasons that are not always clear.

Jack's pack has new neighbors who move in next door. He's very excited to meet their girl dog, a pretty Samoyed named Petra. Petra is also excited to meet Jack, but her Pack Lady, Letitia, is not. Letitia's dislike for Jack creates a problem for Jack and Petra's new friendship; nevertheless, Jack soon finds himself thinking about Petra a lot.

Some time later, Jack is taken for Walkies to an old flour mill where his Packleader snaps pictures for a newspaper article about how important the mill is and why it shouldn't be torn down. Meanwhile, Jack decides to go for a swim in the pond around the mill, but has to be rescued by his Packleader when the pond proves too much for him. The next day, Tom stays in bed because of a cold, leaving Jack and his apepuppy friends, Pete and Mikey, to get into mischief. Jack is able to get through the neighbors' fence with Pete and Mikey's help; a romance soon develops between he and Petra, and they marry.

Unfortunately, our two lovebirds get into deep trouble when Jack's Pack Lady finds them scavenging for food. They decide to run off to the old mill; once there, Petra has Special Messages (puppies) and it is up to Jack to provide for them and keep them safe. But the pressure is on for Jack when his Packleader comes looking for him and ends up in an accident --- not to mention the unfriendly apedogs that seem to be visiting the mill at different times. Will Jack be able to save the day once again?

I think this is a good story for fans of Jack. New readers of Jack's adventures, like myself, may find it a little difficult to understand at first. Once you read the Jackspeak English glossary in the back of the book, though, the story becomes easier to understand. May you laugh when you read I, JACK.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle (...)