The Fort That Jack Built

July 22, 2013
All items that go into a living-room fort come from somewhere, and those doing the building don’t always think to ask permission before appropriating them. This is the astute observation made by Ashburn (I Had a Favorite Dress) in her anti-cumulative tale that riffs on the “House That Jack Built” nursery rhyme. Among those reclaiming objects that have been borrowed to build one such fort are young Jack’s sopping wet teenage sister, who was clearly in the tub when her brother nabbed the shower curtain. Soon, Jack’s mighty fort, once adorned with “Keep Out” and skull-and-crossbones signs, is no more: “Without sheets or pillows, the curtain, books, chair/ Jack’s fort’s not the same as it was under there./ New holes, gap, and cracks, and way too much sag.../ almost collapsed the fort that Jack built.” Helquist’s (Grumpy Goat) chronicle of the fort’s disassembly veers too much toward tableau, and the colors are curiously muted. But his Jack is a spirited fellow with expressive features and plenty of righteous indignation to win readers’ sympathy and inspire a little insurrection. To the sofa cushion barricades! Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

August 15, 2013
Small Jack makes a fort in the living room with a number of household items that the rest of his family needs back. The text moves to the rhythm of the familiar rhyme, resting on a repeated final line about the dog that "almost collapsed the fort that Jack built." For Jack has built his fort with the dog's leash, the pillows from upstairs, a pile of books and chairs belonging to other members of his family. First the dog tries to tug it down. Then Jack's big sister takes back her chair, his brother takes back his whole pile of books, and his elder sister, wearing a very large bath towel, retrieves the shower curtain. And so on. Finally, though, Grandma finds a way to keep cozy under her quilt and allow Jack some free rein, too, although it's punctuated with a very clear message about sharing. The rich but retro color palette, using oils on a digital print, emphasizes the static quality of the images, even when Jack is shouting. Family roles are static too: Jack's mother is first seen with a broom, then moves to making the beds (sigh), while Jack's dad is intent on the flat-screen. Jack's knight action figures conduct byplay of their own in various scenes, providing some visual interest. Alas, no substitute for a real pretend fort. (Picture book. 4-8)

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December 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 2-Ashburn continues to mine traditional nursery rhymes with this reimagining of "The House That Jack Built." This time, Jack is a little boy who collects various items from around the house to construct a fort in front of the living room TV. But little by little, starting with the dog that pulls at the curtain, the structure is dismantled. Jack's sisters, brother, and parents reclaim the chairs, books, curtains, sheets, and other borrowed bits while Jack tries in vain to fend them off with his toy weapons. Left with just the coffee table and a sympathetic grandma, he finally builds a much smaller and cozier hideaway. The story starts out with a strong rhyme scheme that falters later on in the text. (Perhaps it's all those phrases set off by parentheses-and hyphens-and exclamations that tend to trip up someone trying to read the story aloud.) Helquist's muted pictures created with oil on a digital print illustrate each scene but they sometimes chop up the verse unevenly. Although there are many opportunities to bring out the playfulness of the concept, Jack usually looks angry and the other characters have static expressions. Overall, a missed opportunity for a clever presentation.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2013
Preschool-G When we first meet Jack, he and his little white dog are on the rampart, wielding a sword and defending a castle and its medieval occupants from marauding knights. The small boy's basic materials for castle construction include pillows, a stool, a table, a shower curtain, books, sheets, a quilt, an armchair, and a lamp. Voil! He has built a world-class fort, complete with the obligatory Keep Out! sign. But then Jack's sister yanks her chair away, creating a sag; his brother grabs his stack of books, creating a crack; his other sister takes back the shower curtain, leaving a gap; his mother needs the sheets and pillows, making a hole. Meanwhile, Jack's overenthusiastic dog keeps trying to collapse the fort. A disconsolate Jack views his diminished structure with despair. It is up to Grandma to soothe him as they climb under her quilt and share a book about knights. Helquist's colorful illustrations truly capture the active imaginative play of youngsters in this humorous variation of the nursery rhyme.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)