Pat Schories

Love this easy reader, great for new readers! Repeating words such as "Chuck" and "pie". Very cute illustrations of animals working together to help Chuck get the pie he loves. Maybe not a must have in a primary classroom library but worth having as a fun option!

The illustrations of this wordless book are simple to follow. The young boy and his friend are stacking blocks and just as they top it off with what looks like a chess piece (like a crown), Jack bursts into the room crashing through the blocks, jumping on the boy. After about three attempts to complete the block stack, Jack does it again, only this time, the boys lock him out of the room. While this is happening, the lazy cat has slinked out of her chair and takes the block topper. When the show more boys finally complete their block stack, they find the topper missing. Of course, it is blamed on Jack. When they can't find it, Jack does. He sticks his nose at the cat which makes the cat stand in his chair where the boys find the topper. show less

This is a good way to introduce young children to reading. This book has a straightforward, easy to follow storyline and relatable characters. Different formats of the illustrations (some on a single page, some across both pages, some pages with multiple images, some with borders etc.) keep it from seeming repetitive. Childlike illustrations would appeal to young audiences, as would the notion of making new friends who may appear different. Older readers could analyze the story more deeply show more and conclude that the robot aliens are representative of Jack’s imagination, and he fails to keep one in a glass jar as imagination is not a permanent thing that can be preserved in one state forever. All in all, a sweet little tale. show less

Jack is a little dog that is put out for the night. He is visited by a spaceship full of little alien robots who enjoy playing with Jack and decide to take him with them. They hook Jack's chain to the back of their spaceship and begin to take off. Just before Jack leaves the ground, his collar slips off. The owner comes out to check on Jack as the spaceship is flying off in the distance.
This story is amusing. I read it to my 16-month-old because he loves to look at pictures. I added my own show more words, which was neat and fun. This would be a good activity for children learning to write. The teacher could show them the book and they could write the story in their own words. Also, a younger age group could just tell the story in their own words. show less