King Jack and the Dragon

Fort making is one of the great enterprises of childhood, but just in case the art has been lost to some, Bently (The Great Dog Bottom Swap) and Oxenbury (There's Going to Be a Baby) open their felicitous collaboration with what is essentially an illustrated instruction manual: "A big cardboard box, / an old sheet and some sticks, / a couple of trash bags, / a few broken bricks, / a fine royal throne/ from a ragged old quilt, / a drawbridge, a flag--/ and the castle was built." Declaring himself king, Jack leads his friends Zack and Caspar in defending the fort against a menagerie of imaginary creatures. But when Jack's knights are carried off by giants (their parents), Jack finds that a solo defense of the fort is no picnic: "He wished he was anything else but a king." Bently's verse never misses a beat, and Oxenbury shifts between monochromatic, engraving-like drawings and pale watercolors; the images feel as if they were drawn from a classic fairy tale book and contemporary life simultaneously. It's an enchanting tribute to both full-throttle pretend play and the reassurance of a parent's embrace. Ages 3-5. (Aug.)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-K--"Jack, Zack, and Casper were making a den--a mighty great fort for King Jack and his men." So begins this delicious tale of three adventurous youngsters whose day is filled with constructing a castle (construction box, trash bags, and a ragged quilt) and battling dragons and beasts in an imaginary forest. When evening arrives, Zack and Casper are scooped up seemingly by giants (their parents) and taken home. Alone, Jack at first braves the quivering trees and sounds of scampering animals until a four-footed "SOMETHING" looms out of the night. But no, it is his parents, and Jack, riding home on his father's shoulders, claims, "I knew you weren't really a dragon." Soft colors and the fanciful expressions on the various creatures offset any scare youngsters might find in the story, and the children's beguiling faces are warm and friendly. A balance of brown-toned crosshatched drawings and full-color artwork adds to the easy flow of the action. A tale of make-believe that children will delight in hearing again and again.--Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"At once contemporary and classic." — The New York Times

"Though the characters are wholly modern, there is a timelessness to the cycle of excitement, apprehension and parental comfort that should give this lovely book a long stay on the nursery shelf." — The Wall Street Journal

* "It's an enchanting tribute to both full-throttle pretend play and the reassurance of a parent's embrace." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "A tale of make-believe that children will delight in hearing again and again." — School Library Journal, starred review

"The rhyming verse, large trim size, and detailed illustrations...make this a suitable story for group sharing, while the sweet, intimate tone will make it a family favorite." — Booklist

"From this simple premise of imaginative play, Bently and Oxenbury create a classically sweet picture book." — Horn Book

"This one is sure to become a full-on family favorite at bedtime." — The Washington Post

"Altogether, 'King Jack' is just about perfect." — The Sacramento Bee