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The Several Lives of Orphan Jack
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 13:44:44 -0600
Steven Engelfried mentioned a favorite "Jack" book earlier today. His message reminded me of one of my favorite shorter fiction books published in the U.S. during 2003: "The Several Lives of Orphan Jack" written by Sarah Ellis with artwork by Bruno St-Aubin (U.S. edition: Groundwood Books, distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West). What a treat!
Twelve-year-old Jack is an indomitable boy who scampers optimistically from adventure to adventure within a 15-episode, 84-page series of short chapters. The story begins at the Opportunities School for Orphans and Foundlings and takes place during an unspecified time and at an undisclosed location, to employ an over-used phrase of these times. Jack had always "skipped over, dance around, slid under, melted away from, and talked his way out of trouble" in this awful place of boiled turnip dinners. "Turnips, trouble and trepidation," this Opportunities boy remarks to himself, as he sets out to give the word "opportunities" an entirely new connotation. He soon finds out that he's not destined to be a scullery storyteller, or a ledger lad. No, neither of those, and none of the other jobs he tries, either.
Oh, the words readers can enjoy throughout "The Several Lives of Orphan Jack." For example: "Flitters, and fetchers and friends, ...the life of a wandering boy;"
"Plans and pumpkin pie, ...the life of a fellow of fortune;" and "Toffee and tyrants, ...the life of an ideas peddler." Ellis's development of paired words, often alliterative, at the end of short madcap escapade offers a comfortably predictable, humorous way for readers to understand Jack. At the same instant Jack is seeking to comprehend his role in the wide world of opportunity.
At first Jack refers to himself as a boy and finally, as he becomes a wiser sojourner, the word "boy" becomes transformed, as well. A few pages before the book's end, Jack visits a mill house. Our hero temporarily runs out of words to describe the experience: "...a meal for which the word dinner did not do justice. Repast, more like it, or feast." He ends that day by thinking to himself, "Food at bedtime, special clothes to wear to bed, someone wishing you goodnight. Those must be family things. Nightshirts and nightcaps, ...That's the life of a family man."
However Jack isn't settling for settling down. Lou has just given him a sprig of
"Mugwort. "Traveler's herb." Jack realizes he'll never tire of walking. He determines that he's simply migrating, like birds do. The boy knows now that he'll be a "man of the road."
Over the holidays I plan to read "The Several Lives of Orphan Jack" aloud to a couple of children. I predict that it'll also be also be a delight for any adults who overhear us enjoying Jack's light-hearted journey to increasing self-knowledge. Maybe we'll even begin describing our own experiences by creating paired, alliterative words. If so, it'll be because of the Incomparable Ideas Peddler, Sarah Ellis!
With notes and notions, Ginny
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu Director Emeritus, Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 18 Dec 2003 01:44:44 PM CST
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 13:44:44 -0600
Steven Engelfried mentioned a favorite "Jack" book earlier today. His message reminded me of one of my favorite shorter fiction books published in the U.S. during 2003: "The Several Lives of Orphan Jack" written by Sarah Ellis with artwork by Bruno St-Aubin (U.S. edition: Groundwood Books, distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West). What a treat!
Twelve-year-old Jack is an indomitable boy who scampers optimistically from adventure to adventure within a 15-episode, 84-page series of short chapters. The story begins at the Opportunities School for Orphans and Foundlings and takes place during an unspecified time and at an undisclosed location, to employ an over-used phrase of these times. Jack had always "skipped over, dance around, slid under, melted away from, and talked his way out of trouble" in this awful place of boiled turnip dinners. "Turnips, trouble and trepidation," this Opportunities boy remarks to himself, as he sets out to give the word "opportunities" an entirely new connotation. He soon finds out that he's not destined to be a scullery storyteller, or a ledger lad. No, neither of those, and none of the other jobs he tries, either.
Oh, the words readers can enjoy throughout "The Several Lives of Orphan Jack." For example: "Flitters, and fetchers and friends, ...the life of a wandering boy;"
"Plans and pumpkin pie, ...the life of a fellow of fortune;" and "Toffee and tyrants, ...the life of an ideas peddler." Ellis's development of paired words, often alliterative, at the end of short madcap escapade offers a comfortably predictable, humorous way for readers to understand Jack. At the same instant Jack is seeking to comprehend his role in the wide world of opportunity.
At first Jack refers to himself as a boy and finally, as he becomes a wiser sojourner, the word "boy" becomes transformed, as well. A few pages before the book's end, Jack visits a mill house. Our hero temporarily runs out of words to describe the experience: "...a meal for which the word dinner did not do justice. Repast, more like it, or feast." He ends that day by thinking to himself, "Food at bedtime, special clothes to wear to bed, someone wishing you goodnight. Those must be family things. Nightshirts and nightcaps, ...That's the life of a family man."
However Jack isn't settling for settling down. Lou has just given him a sprig of
"Mugwort. "Traveler's herb." Jack realizes he'll never tire of walking. He determines that he's simply migrating, like birds do. The boy knows now that he'll be a "man of the road."
Over the holidays I plan to read "The Several Lives of Orphan Jack" aloud to a couple of children. I predict that it'll also be also be a delight for any adults who overhear us enjoying Jack's light-hearted journey to increasing self-knowledge. Maybe we'll even begin describing our own experiences by creating paired, alliterative words. If so, it'll be because of the Incomparable Ideas Peddler, Sarah Ellis!
With notes and notions, Ginny
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu Director Emeritus, Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
Received on Thu 18 Dec 2003 01:44:44 PM CST
