Clever Jack Takes the Cake

Fleming, Candace. Clever Jack Takes the Cake. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Random House, 2010. 40 pages. $17.99. ISBN 9780375849794.

Summary:

Jack is invited to celebrate the Princess’s birthday and has no money to purchase a gift. Undaunted, he decides to make her a cake: finding, making or trading for the ingredients. Jack sets off to deliver his gift, but he encounters some problems along the way. First, he is set upon by blackbirds who peck all of the walnuts off of the top of the cake. Next, a hungry troll won’t let Jack pass over his bridge unless Jack trades him one of the layers of cake. This pattern continues until Jack is left only with the “succulent strawberry,” and then is informed that the Princess is allergic! Clever Jack is able to give the Princess a very special gift after all, one that she truly enjoys.

Curriculum Connections:

A fine example of a genre-crossover book, this story touches on themes of adventure as well as classic fairy tales. It can be read at many levels: as a discussion text with third graders or as a fun adventure tale with kindergarteners. This text could also be used to discuss cause and effect with young listeners.

Personal Reflections:

I was initially hesitant to read this book with kindergarteners because I was worried it would be too long and “text-rich” for them. Not so! They loved it, particularly for the continuous flow of action and the pattern of the story as it developed. In reading it, there was plenty of room for showing emotion: Jack’s disappointment, excitement, and fear were enjoyable to dramatize.

Awards:

Booklist Editors’ Choice, Books for Young Readers, 2010; School Library Journal Best Books, 2010; Chickadee Award Book List 2011-2012.

Age/Interest Range:

K-10

Genre/Themes:

Fairy Tales, Cause and Effect

Read-Alikes:

The Princess Knight (Funke) and Happily Ever After (Quindlen) are two modern fairy tales that also feature strong characters who are good problem-solvers.