Clever Jack Takes the Cake

Candace Fleming ∙ Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Paperback

Published on Nov 12, 2024 | 40 Pages

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Ebook

Published on Oct 31, 2012 | 40 Pages

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Grades Preschool – 3
Ages 4–8

Take a bite out of this deliciously funny original fairy tale, which received four starred reviews and was named a Best Book of the Year by Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and the Bank Street College of Education.

What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party but didn’t have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake.

Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly go wrong?

Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas, creators of the bestselling picture book Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, have teamed up again to bring us a modern fairy tale starring a determined boy and a story-loving princess with a good sense of humor. While girls will fall for a story featuring a princess’s birthday party, Jack’s adventures with trolls, bears, and gypsies make this the perfect read for young boys as well—and ideal for storytime.

Award Winner

Starred Review, Booklist, July 2010:
"An original fairy tale that has the makings of a story-hour classic. . . This standout picture book emphasizes resourcefulness and the power and pleasure of a well-told tale."

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, July 2010:
"The simple-but-expressive, cartoonish illustrations on textured paper and the delightfully clever design further distinguish this cheerful charmer."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, July 19, 2010:
The creators of Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! celebrate storytelling with a sparkling specimen of that very thing. . .With muted tones and subtle textures, the pictures capture the tale’s humor and Jack’s earnest nature."

Starred Review, School Library Journal, July 2010:
This entertaining adventure is packed with action. Karas’s schratchy gouache and pencil cartoon illustrations are as detail-rich as the text itself."

ISBN 9780593813515 (Paperback)
Published on Nov 12, 2024
Published by Dragonfly Books
Pages 40
Dimensions 9 x 10-1/2
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD600L | Fountas/Pinnell: O

ISBN 9780307982575 (Ebook)
Published on Oct 31, 2012
Published by Schwartz & Wade
Pages 40
Age Range 4-8 years
Grade Preschool - 3
Reading Level Lexile: AD600L | Fountas/Pinnell: O

Candace Fleming

Candace Fleming is the award-winning author of more than fifty books for children and young adults. The recipient of the American Library Association’s Children’s Literature Legacy Award and Margaret A. Edwards Award, she has written many acclaimed nonfiction titles, including Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown, winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime, which received four starred reviews; The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, also a YALSA recipient; and The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, which won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was recognized as a Sibert Nonfiction Honor Book. Her beloved picture books include Giant Squid, a Sibert Honor Book, and Oh, No!, which received three starred reviews.

G. Brian Karas

G. Brian Karas is the prolific, versatile, and award-winning illustrator of many books for children, including the beloved Mr. Tiffin’s Class series, A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards, which received three starred reviews, Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins, Are You Going to Be Good? by Cari Best, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, and Home on the Bayou, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. He lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.