The Jack Tales (Paperback)

~ (Author) "ONE TIME away back years ago there was a boy named Jack..." (more)
Key Phrases: overhall pocket, hard gripes, heifer hide, King Marock, Big Jack, North West Wind (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Humor, freshness, colorful American background, and the use of one character as a central figure in the cycle mark these eighteen folktales, told here in the dialect of the mountain country of North Carolina." -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Grandparents can be great storytellers, too, and the aptly titled Grandfather Tales: American-English Folk Tales, edited by Richard Chase, illus. by Berkeley Williams Jr. (first published in 1948), collects folk stories and tall tales handed down for generations. Although many originated in England, they have taken on a distinct American flavor. Familiar backcountry characters include Sody Sallyraytus and Old Dry Frye. The Jack Tales: Folk Tales from the Southern Appalachians (1943), also edited by Chase, illus. by Williams, captures 18 folk tales about Jack, well known to children from Jack and the Beanstalk (here known as "Jack and the Bean Tree"). Williams's occasional pen-and-ink drawings add to the handsome package. (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (August 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618346929
• ISBN-13: 978-0618346929
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #257,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Childhood memories that stand the test of time, July 8, 1999

By	Elizabeth Kerner (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Jack Tales: Folk Tales From The Southern Appalachians (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book . Children will sit and listen to it being read., May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jack Tales: Folk Tales From The Southern Appalachians (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Let's Eat Jack for Supper", January 11, 2006

By	James Charnock (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jack Tales (Hardcover)

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!

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