Reviews

Hi, Jack! by Mac Barnett

mrsthakkar's review against another edition

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1.0

"Jack" is a bad Jack - he steals a purse, pink and red lipsticks, etc. from The Lady. Jack writes on The Lady's nice walls. The Lady gives Jack a gift! This early reader missed the mark for me, as I think there are better titles and series out there. See more of my review: thakkarsthinkers.blogspot.com

erine's review against another edition

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2.0

Jack is bad. He steals, draws on the dog, takes snacks with nary a thank you, and is pretty much your typical no-good jack rabbit.

Huge missed opportunity to say “Hello, Lady!” Basically ruined the whole book.

_reading_with_kate_'s review against another edition

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I did not care for this one.

mnstucki's review against another edition

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3.0

Meh. Wouldn't want my kid to read this. The main character is just downright mean/naughty. Thought about introducing it to my first graders because it is at the perfect level for most of them right now, but I just don't want that influence in my classroom when I work so hard to build a positive, friendly community with my kids.

judyapneeb's review against another edition

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4.0

Jack is a dick.

Jack is rude to everyone.

I found Jack hilarious.

Don't be like Jack.

Do laugh at the silliness of this book.

kelleemoye's review against another edition

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3.0

Read on IG by Mac Barnett 4/17/20

smit1286's review against another edition

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5.0

I don’t typically review children’s books unless they are novel length, but this one had my reluctant 6-year-old begging to read it to me. We were both in stitches, giggling at Jack’s lipstick stealing antics! It was just so funny that I couldn’t resist endorsing the book! Admittedly many people won’t like it. Jack is naughty, so skip this one if you aren’t a fan of characters with less desirable traits. This series is reminiscent of the David series by David Shannon or Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon. There are a couple “how to draw the character” pages in the back that my 6-year-old really liked too. I picked this up from the library, but will be buying for our home library.

annetjeberg's review against another edition

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3.0

Oh my Jack! He is definitely not a great role model, but my 5-year-old, who is a reluctant reader can't be bothered by that. He actually wanted to read about Jack, even though some stories just did not make much sense.

barbarianlibarian's review against another edition

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3.0

still love the bad attitude in these

mhfarmer's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm impressed with this entire series. The vast majority of beginning readers are boring. Incredibly boring. Mo Willems came in and changed the game with Elephant & Piggie. The Jack Books continue in that vein, and take it further with seriously funny stuff--petty theft and lipstick graffiti included.

I'm disappointed that so many adults in the reviews are unwilling to share books with their children and/or students unless they have a "good message." By doing that, you are sending the message that reading is ONLY for learning morals and how to behave. This is why so many children learn to hate reading, and as a librarian I hear that from kids all the time. A Book With a Message certainly has its place, but we should all be sending the message that reading is for fun. Parents come to me desperate for a book their child will like, and guess what I hand them? Not Dick & Jane, not Frog & Toad (as much as I love those), not moralistic tales from decades past. No, I hand them funny books.

Mac Barnett, Greg Pizzoli and lots of others are doing great work creating engaging books for beginning readers, but it is up to the parents and teachers to put these books in kids' hands.

Kids deserve more credit. They KNOW Jack is being naughty. And it's funny. I don't believe for one second that kids will start stealing purses and writing on walls in lipstick just because of this book, unless of course their parents and teachers haven't already taught them right from wrong.

For those who continue reading this series, in later books, there is character development and even--dare I say it--a message, and it all feels earned. More, please!