Things Are Looking Up, Jack (Orca Young Readers) [Paperback]

Dan Bar-el (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Orca Young Readers

All is not right in the land of Mother Goose. People and things keep falling down and it is not merely coincidental. There is trouble afoot. It is up to King Jack and his sister Princess Jill to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"I don't understand it," Humpty Dumpty cried. "I was just sitting here on top of the wall as I usually do in the mornings, knitting egg cozies. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping and looking at me with their usual, curious expression. There wasn't any wind. The earth didn't shake. One second I'm up there and the next I'm down here. I don't understand how this happened. I've never fallen before."

"He was probably just following your example, Jack," said Jill with a smirk.

King Jack decided to ignore his sister. "This is quite a coincidence. I, myself, have also just fallen down for no apparent reason," said Jack.

Product Details

• Paperback: 113 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551432781
• ISBN-13: 978-1551432786
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,856,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children's author, a storyteller and educator who lives in Vancouver, Canada. His books for young readers are downright funny; sometimes satirical, sometimes absurd and always enjoyable for adults too. Look for a more lyrical and dreamy escape in his new picture book "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?" When not at home writing, Dan merrily travels around the country visiting schools and libraries. Learn dubious facts about him on the web at www.danbar-el.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very funny, June 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Things Are Looking Up, Jack (Orca Young Readers) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my four year old son as the author is his preschool teacher. As it turned out he was to young for it so I ended up reading it for myself and really, really enjoyed it. Bar-el itegrates Mother Goose nursery rhymes arround themes like "falling down" and "good/evil" in such a way that they become connected as small parts of a whole new story without loosing their original context. He plays with the recurring elaments of nursery rhymes and fairy tales such as names, fantasy and happy endings in order to maintain a similar structure for his own story. In short, it is witty, creative and funny. Apropiate for older children and adults of all ages. I highly recomend it and will keep an eye open for any new titles by Dan Bar-el.