Customer Reviews

The Jack Tales

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My mother, who was from North Carolina with relatives in the Appalachians, read The Jack Tales to my brother and me before we started reading for ourselves. She got really tired of doing so, because we'd ask for them over and over. Fairy tales are the deep learning of childhood, and to hear these stories written the same way our older relatives spoke was wondrous. The stories themselves are a celebration of Jack the hero and Jack the Trickster, told with plenty of humour to keep things interesting and in a voice both authentically American and of universal appeal. I'm delighted to be able to get my hands on a copy - this is a book well worth reading and preserving for the next generation of avid readers.

I first heard the Jack Tales when I was in the fourth grade back in the 1960's. Our teacher would read us a chapter once a week. I had to look good and hard to find a copy for my daughters they have enjoyed hearing about Jack.

Jack's always gittin' into some find of fixin' and always gittin' outa it. He's a hillbilly that's not too bright; 'cept he always manages to outsmart his troubles. Like the time the four-headed giant and his mom want to eat little bitty Jack for supper after he had killed her three sons (each with several heads) which were about six times the size of a natural person. Look-a-here, you might say, how can uh ordinary boy whup so many giants? Well'm, he can't. (Ain't ye got no sense?) He outsmarts 'em. And it's a real howdy do!

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

I really enjoy this book and have read it entirely a couple of times and will read it several more I'm sure. The stories themselves are very entertaining and extremely well told in a colloquial but readable fashion. I'm 40 years old but I think younger people will truly appreciate the stories as well, as that is who they are directed towards. There is also a lot of information about the history and lineage of the stories for those who are interested to know where they come from. This book has set me on a quest for more stories and more sources.

This is an excellent source of antiquated Appalachian folktales. I use this book often with my students not only in drama classes but also in humanities classes. With living in eastern Kentucky and having ancestors who told these stories I am truly pleased to find so many of the Jack tales in one collection. We have no prolem when reading the style of language and use of early Appalachian diction. We love these stories. I usually have a bonnet and a long apron on when we do these readings. I know those not familiar with the Appalachian dialect may have problems with the pronunciation with some of the words so please let me know if you need our help!

When I was a camper at Camp Yonahnoka in Linville, NC, Richard Chase, the author of GRANDFATHER TALES and THE JACK TALES, would visit the camp and tell Jack tales to the campers from time to time. And always in that wonderful dialect he tries fairly successfully to capture in his books. He also introduced us to some early Blue Ridge Mountain folk toys - the "gee-haw whimmydiddle" being my favorite. It was a stick with notches cut into it and a simple two-bladed propeller afixed to the end with a small nail. When you rubbed the stick across the notches and said "Gee!", the propeller would spin to the left; when you called out "Haw!", the propeller would change course and spin to the right.

The trick was to hold the rubbing stick in your left hand in such a way that when your index finger was in front of the stick when it rubbed the notches, the propeller would spin to the left; when you turned your wrist slightly so that the the thumb and not the index finger was behind the stick as it rubbed the whimmydiddle, it would spin to the right. Chase showed my 10 year old self the secret while I sat on his lap during a bunkhouse cookout.

When I became a camp counselor, I'd read half a story a night aloud to my campers at bedtime. (In my best Richard Chase voice, of course.) No finishing the story the next night unless they behaved themselves the rest of the evening. It always worked because they loved the stories.

Jack walks on, walks on, from one generation to the next. I first heard of Jack when my fifth-grade teacher read the stories to us. Then I purchased the book to read to my children. Now, 20 years later, I've sent it as a gift to my young nephews. The report is that they loved it! To enjoy a truly timeless set of tales, you can't go wrong with "The Jack Tales".

When I was in 5th grade (25 or so years ago), our teacher, Mrs. Smith had a reward system where if the class got enough checks, we could redeem them for various treats. Time after time, once we got enough checks, we'd beg her to read to us from this book. I don't recall our class ever asking for anything else. I'd strongly recommend this one to parents of kids of any age. This, to me, is as good as American fairy tales get.

Stories from this book were read to my 2nd grade class back in the late 70's by one of my favorite teachers. Several years ago I tried to locate a copy for my young nephew, but to no avail. Now that I have discovered it through amazon.com, I'll probably buy several copies. These are great stories, and are part of my fondest memories of my early school years.

I first read this book as a child in the sixties. On rereading it recently, I found these tales to be just as magical as I remember them. Loosely mirroring the European fairy tales, the impart a decidedly Appalachian spin to them. Poor Jack is the youngest son, prone to laziness and ripe for adventure. He lives and wins his battles using his wits and his good nature. The tales are full of humor and the best man, Jack, always wins. If you thought you knew all of the fairy tales, you will be more than pleasantly surprised