Mountain Jack Tales (Paperback)

~ E Haley Gail (Author) "Well, howdy. Pull up a chair, and grab you-uns a knife and a pan..." (more)
Key Phrases: little rock hammer, pocket penknife, bean tree, Mourning Belle, King Marock, Northwest Wind (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a lucid, vibrant voice, Caldecott Medalist Haley ( A Story, A Story ) recounts stories which originate in the rugged North Carolina mountain country. Following a diverting introduction comes an animated assortment of 10 fairy tales, fables and tall tales with one commonality: each revolves around Jack, a young man who encounters kings, giants, mysterious old men and talking animals. In one tale the kind and zealous protagonist has brothers or a wife; in the next, he has none. This folktale Everyman will "risk just about everything to have an adventure. It's like a hunger he has, and his dreams will lead him into places where an older, wiser person might think twice about goin'." Haley's use of metaphor, hyperbole and dialect captures the playful spirit of mountain lore. Her emotive, elaborate wood engravings--as well as her afterwords about the stories, the art and the language itself--enrich this buoyant anthology. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6-- Haley retells nine Jack tales in this collection that provides a kind of sequel to her Jack and the Bean Tree (Crown, 1986). Once again, she uses Poppyseed, a mountain woman, to provide the framework for the stories. The selections come from Haley's grandmother, and have changed over time as she herself has heard versions from other countries and from such mountain tellers as Ray Hicks. The origins and influences on her stories are discussed in an afterword, as is the process of creating the art. Like Richard Chase's The Jack Tales (Houghton, 1943), the stories feature a North Carolina dialect (a glossary is provided), but Haley's voice is more matter-of-fact, less ironic, and there's less dialect but it seems more artificial. Each story is illustrated with one or two bland, black-and-white wood engravings that seem too stilted for what should be lively tales. Young readers will find these offerings accessible; older children, teachers, and storytellers will appreciate Haley's background information and may incorporate it into their own oral tellings. However, Chase's book is still preferred. --Barbara Chatton, College of Education, Univ . of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Parkway Publishers, Inc. (November 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887905510
• ISBN-13: 978-1887905510
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,284,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flavorful and upbeat language mark this, February 14, 2003

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Written and illustrated by puppeteer, storyteller, and children's author Gail E. Haley, Mountain Jack Tales is a simply wonderful collection of short stories written in the classic style of the great folklore yarns of old, and focusing on the adventurer called Mountain Jack, and his fantastic exploits against ogres, card sharks, stubborn witches, and even Old Man Death himself. Flavorful and upbeat language mark this highly enjoyable, enthusiastically recommended compendium of original tall tales that are certain to entertain and please readers of all ages!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection of Classic Appalachian Folktales, October 2, 2009

By	H. Campbell (Wilmington, North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't know what that reviewer was thinking who rated this book one star, she must have had a bone to pick. I've read many volumes of folktales from all over the world, and this one's a gem. It borrows classic themes in folk literature and lets them float down through an Appalachian sifter. And the wood engravings are wonderful and apt given the great wood carvings from eastern North Carolina and the Smokies. I didn't grow up in this part of the country but didn't find the language obtuse. Besides, there's a great glossary of terms in the back. Well worth a read. I'm adding this one to my collection!

1.0 out of 5 stars Dismal Disappointment, June 18, 2008

By	Gypsi Phillips Bates "bilbiophile" (Knoxville, TN, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was a mediocre retelling in which the author chose to have a narrator tell the tales in an Appalachian dialect. I am an Appalachian mountain girl myself, and still had occasionally difficulty understanding. I can only imagine the reaction from one who did not grow up hearing this language. The tales themselves were clinical, sterile retellings with no life in them and the overall result was a dismal disappointment.