The World That Jack Built [Hardcover]

Ruth Brown (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Cleverly departing from the well-known childhood rhyme, Ruth Brown takes a provocative trip through the world that "Jack" (humankind) has built--as this man-made world might be perceived by a gorgeous black cat. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS Up-- This picture book is dramatically subtle in its statement on how we are treating our fragile home, planet Earth. The book begins simply enough with the familiar phrase, "This is the house that Jack built," and ultimately depicts the world around his once-idyllic meadow as one of ecological disaster. Readers are shown, through the double-page watercolor illustrations, the flowering meadows; lush stands of trees; a clear, bubbling stream; and the hills that form the valley . . . "by the house that Jack built." Across from this valley and up the hills, however, one sees the neighboring valley with its lifeless meadows; darkened, dead forest; and sluggish, discolored stream--"next to the factory that Jack built." The pictures are an evocative progression of the story line--from sunny and ideal to dark and forboding--and they deftly emphasize the one or two lines of text at the bottom of the pages. The final endpapers panoramically show the two contrasting valleys. The concept of time (months, years) is not portrayed in the sweeping illustrations, and the depiction of the two "worlds" is abrupt. A more graphic development of this concept (passage of time) is executed in Jeannie Baker's wordless Window (Greenwillow, 1991). Nevertheless, the expansiveness and drama of Brown's illustrations will be an immediate draw. --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (February 28, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525446354
• ISBN-13: 978-0525446354
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #749,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The world that jack built, April 11, 2009

By 

spelsue "spelsue" (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World That Jack Built (Hardcover)

I use this book during earth week in my PreK class and the children love it. It is used for it's ability to open up discussion on the decisions we make and the impact in has on our planet. It has the same message as the Lorax which I and my students love without the cartoon drawings so it hits them differently, because they can now relate to it. I get feedback in regards to this lesson from the parents - positive. That their children are speaking about conserving water, fuel or electricity. Talking about recycling or cleaning up their neighborhood or local park to do their part. I did not find that this book scared the 4/5 year olds in my class it empowered them.

5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking book even for younger children, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The World That Jack Built (Hardcover)

This is a well-illustrated book. I have read it several times to the children in my day care home and it has made quite an impact on them. The book has been requested several times and has made them think about caring for the world around them. It has been the topic of discussion between the children and their parents. The story so impressed them that they carried its message home, to work together to keep their world a beautiful place. We loved the story and I am looking for 2 more copies, one to give and one to keep. Congratulations Ms. Brown!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Quite the Pessimistic Children's Story, March 22, 2005

By 

cagy1 (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World That Jack Built (Hardcover)

Reading to children is a wonderful thing, but all stories for children, at least at the age this story is directed at, need to have a positive or in the very least hopeful eneding. This story does not. It ends on a sad, depressing endnote meant to shock rather than to teach. What kind of feeling is a child going to get from reading this kind of book?