This Is the House That Jack Built by Simms Taback, Simms Taback (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Caldecott Medal winner Simms Taback has returned with his trademark mixed-media illustrations and jovial style in this hilarious retelling of a classic rhyme.

The familiar tale starts with "This is the house that Jack built," but right away we know we're not in for the average retelling: A large, abstract-looking house stands majestically on the page, complete with a "For Sale" sign on the lawn and a "Call Jack for Key" sign on the door. Taback's whimsical yarn spins along, with nine different cheeses (with smell-factor commentary), a psychotic-looking rat, a ferocious cat, a salivating dog, and so on. Each verse of the well-known tale is portrayed with witty Tabackian extras, causing the pages to get more crowded with words and topsy-turvy characters, but the real treat comes at the end with an extra verse, and readers are asked to guess which 19th-century artist first illustrated this timeless story.

With Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly under his belt, Simms Taback has created another frolicsome book that's clever, charming, and simply fun to look at. His stylistic artwork will have readers searching for photos, labels, and added information about each character, making a traditional and busy rhyme spring to life. A blessing for storytimes and a kooky treasure hunt -- adults and children will be cheering over this new take on Jack's place. Matt Warner

From the Publisher

What happened in the house that Jack built? It all started with the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built. And then came the rat that ate the cheese and the cat who killed the rat. Caldecott Medal—winning author and illustrator Simms Taback brings his distinctive humor and creativity to the beloved story of Jack and the house that he built.

Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW wrote, "The artist fills the busy pages with abundant details and diversions. A zany and fun take on the 18th-century classic." Ages 4-up. (Dec.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Taback is very, very clever. He takes the house element of the story literally by turning the endpapers and back cover into newspaper advertisements, offering real estate and tools to fix a house. The adventure inside is downright hilarious. "This is the cheese that lay in the house" elicits an entire page on which various cheeses are not only named but also labeled as to their aroma or lack of it. Every page contains a variety of tongue-in-cheek references that may go over the heads of some kids but those who get them will love them. The illustrator creates additional drama with strong color. He uses stark black backgrounds for the house painted in bright jewel tones. Dark colors, such as navy and deep green, lay the groundwork for each of the characters. The rat, the cat, the dog, etc., all have their own pages and their names are formed by letters cut from newspapers. Children will love this book, and it's a natural for storyhour. This is the version every library should have.-Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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