Customer Reviews

J.T.

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was a 4th grader in a lot of trouble and detached from school. Our librarian gave this book to me and I read it hundreds of times that year and the next. I rememberd it only recently. I now work as an international photojournalist and assume that Gordon Parks images kept me intersted in literacy as a child and had a profound impact on the course of my current career. This book was to me what the kitten was to J.T.- a saviour.

in elementary school we actually watched this as a movie too. this was one of the most profound books that i have ever read. it would make me sob! but it is such a great book to encourage compassion and remind "tough" children that it is ok to be tender and to show that you love something...

I have used J.T. for years to reach reluctant readers. The pictures and dialogue give an easy context for lower readers to decode and comprehend the text. J.T. is a wonderful character that anyone can relate to. The copies I have are falling apart from much use and love.

This was one of the books my second-grade class had to read on our own. I remember that it almost made me cry because I felt so sorry for that poor boy, JT. It's the first book that I loved so much. Terribly sad, but at the same time, I have wanted to reread it for quite some time. And I finally found it here!

This book is a must read for all NYC students. As an educator I introduce it to grades second and up. I would like to purchase a copy of this on film. Amazon can you help locate a copy.

I loved this book as a child and I even remember having a little crush on the boy in the book and film (Kevin Hooks who went on to become a famous actor and director). My parents somehow got a hold of the film (on a reel!) to show at one of my birthday slumber parties in the late 70s. I'm now expecting my first child and can't wait until she's old enough to enjoy the story as well.

I'm really close with cats so I understood this book. I was good the way that J.T. put the radio back. That meant he was on the road to becoming a good kid again. I liked the book but it wasn't my type... I usually like more adventure.

We are now reading this book in my 6th grade class. The students have difficulty reading and this book is perfect. Good readers will like it, too. I remember seeing the movie on television back in the '70s when I was a kid and thought it was awesome! It is not available at this time, but the book contains many scenes and much dialogue. Truly wonderful introduction to inner city life as seen the the eyes of a fourth grader. GET IT!

You don't have to be a child to appreciate this book and its lesson, although by reading through the comments most of us were introduced to the story through the 1969 CBS children's special that aired around Christmas of that year starring Kevin Hooks as J.T. The book came later. J.T. lives in a poor section of New York surrounded by nothing but ugliness and poverty. He doesn't even have a bedroom to call his own and the building he lives in has a communal bathroom. He steals a transistor radio out of a car one day and is pursued by two other boys who want that radio too. In the process of escaping the two boys, J.T. runs across a boney homeless cat in an abandoned building. He learns to feel by caring for that cat, probably the first time in years he has felt loved or noticed for something other than bad deeds. The end will shock you and probably make you cry regardless of your age. I haven't seen the movie on TV since 1989 and I don't know why this isn't out on DVD - it's a great family film. I'm sure the networks would rather run something like "Dancing with the Stars - A Christmas Special" than bring this great old film out of mothballs, so I'm not holding my breath.

Someone has posted the 1969 film in its entirety on yout ube - it's fairly easy to find - so gather your family around the computer if you have the chance. Actually, the print the poster used looks quite good.

I first experienced this story as a television film around 1969. It stunned me then, as a child, and I kept it in my heart for decades. Recently I came across a dog-eared copy of the novelization in a used bookstore and was stunned by the grip it still had on me. I am now a teacher and have presented the book to my students. They were similarly enthralled. It transcends generations, ethnicities, and economic barriers. It is a sublimely human story. I am so grateful to Jane Wagner for creating such a fine piece. It teaches so many things in so many ways.