Paul Brett Johnson (1947–2011)

Where do I start with this book? Being from Kentucky and the son of a preacher man, this retelling of an Appalachian folk tale is an absolute riot. A preacher follows the scent of fried chicken wafting in the air to a parishioner's house where he invites himself in for supper...his last supper. After choking on a chicken bone, the friendly church folk must find a way to "get shed of Old Dry Frye" before they get "strung up for murder." What follows is a classic tale of misfortune that comes show more upon each new person who stumbles upon Old Dry Frye's corpse. Everybody knows Old Dry Frye! And yes, there really is a town in Kentucky called Monkey's Eyebrow.
Paul Johnson does an incredible job with the accents and colloquialisms in the story. I have seen several retellings of this old folktale and I think I like his the best, he nails all the language and sets up the "gotcha" moments just right. I can imagine this being told and retold on front porches and around campfires with banjoes in tow. show less

Old Dry Frye was a preacher who loved fried chicken. If you were having fried chicken for dinner, he knew about it. When Old Dry Frye was making Sunday rounds, he stopped at a farmhouse and his timing could not have been better. The family was having fried chicken for dinner. Old Dry Frye chocked on a chicken bone and died right there on the spot. He was then passed around from neighbor to neighbor because they were afraid of being accused of killing him. This story has great humor which I show more think children will really like. show less

Young Reader Reaction: This adaptation is most striking because of how it immerses the story in Appalachian culture. Words like "mud-fence ugly" and "busted up chairs" are particular to the region and do a lot to change the flavor of the setting and the characters. The illustrations are true to Appalachian imagery, too. The exploits in this version are like the original Jack tale and defy believability, especially the creek example. But the giants are faithful to the stereotype of stupidity. show more The feel of the story, despite the violence and threat, is acceptable to children, particularly due to Jack's innocent appearance and his dog's presence in every illustration. I would recommend this book, but would warn young readers that not all giants are as foolish as they are depicted, and that sometimes lies like the ones Jack says can backfire.

Pros: This version of the well-known Jack and the Beanstalk story immerses readers in Appalachian culture.

Cons: This story, like the original, does have violent elements that are accentuated with the dark colors of the book.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®. show less

Jack Outwits the Giants is about a young boy who, as the title says, outsmarts the giants. Young Jack was caught walking in a bad rain storm and rain to the nearest house for shelter. He knocked on the door to it only being open by a giant women. Jack knew he was in trouble when her giant husband walked in with two scary looking heads. The whole book is about how Jack does things to outwit the giants so he does not get eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thankfully, Jack is a very clever show more boy! The style in this book is creative. The language is sometimes hard to understand. The dialect did not work well for me but I could figure out what the author was trying to say. The theme of the story for me: Do what you have to do to survive. I believe children would love this book because it has funny moments and the illustrations in the story are done well. Although I did struggle a little bit with the dialect, I thoroughly liked the book. show less