Jack, the King of Ashes

by Andy Jones, Darka Erdelji (Illustrator)

Overview

Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and illustrator Darka Erdelji are back, with Jack, the King of Ashes, another riotously funny Jack tale. This time Jack spends all his time hove off in the coal box. Then one day he shakes off those ashes and sets out on an adventure that includes sneaky robbers, a "famous missing princess with reward attached", an always-surprising canine sidekick, a royal wedding, a lovelorn rooster-puppet, a conniving ship's captain, corpses, curses, kisses, coats and a whole lot more! Steeped in Newfoundland folk tradition, Jack, the King of Ashes shows CODCO alumnus Andy Jones at the top of his form. His quirky and delightful humour is unstoppable. Darka Erdelji's illustrations offer a wonderful, witty counterpoint to the story, enriching and embellishing it. Jones and Erdelji's last collaboration, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves won the 2012 BMO Winterset Award honouring excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador literature in any genre.

Praise for Jones and Erdelji's previous collaborations:

"This irreverent, buoyant version of the nativity story, as experienced by the legendary, down-to-earth figure of Jack, has all the charm of a good tale told by a master storyteller.... Captivating and hilarious, with a transcendent story at its centre, Jack and the Manger is an outstanding children's book."—2012 Bruneau Family Children's/Young Adult Literature Award Jury

"Jones's retelling effectively captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and the cadences of Newfoundland dialect. Illustrator Darka Erdelji's illustrations are a fine match. Enchanting, magical, and very skillful, they blend rich, evocative blues, greens, and reds, delicate line drawings in black and white, and rough, folk-art representations of the characters. All in all, a wonderful, rollicking tale." —Quill & Quire (starred review) for The Queen of Paradise's Garden

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781927917022
Publisher:	Running the Goat
Publication date:	10/15/2014
Series:	A Jack Tale Series , #4
Pages:	56
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.37(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Actor, writer, director Andy Jones has won wide acclaim for his on-going series of Jack tales, illustrated by Darka Erdelji. Books in the series have won the BMO Winterset Award (for excellence in Newfoundland & Labrador writing) and the Bruno Family Children's Literature Award, and been shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustrated Text, the Silver Birch Express Award, and the Hackmatack Award. He lives in St. John's.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Jones and Erdelji's previous collaborations:

"This irreverent, buoyant version of the nativity story, as experienced by the legendary, down-to-earth figure of Jack, has all the charm of a good tale told by a master storyteller.... Captivating and hilarious, with a transcendent story at its centre, Jack and the Manger is an outstanding children's book."
—2012 Bruneau Family Children's/Young Adult Literature Award Jury

"Jones's retelling effectively captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and the cadences of Newfoundland dialect. Illustrator Darka Erdelji's illustrations are a fine match. Enchanting, magical, and very skillful, they blend rich, evocative blues, greens, and reds, delicate line drawings in black and white, and rough, folk-art representations of the characters. All in all, a wonderful, rollicking tale."
—Quill & Quire (starred review) for The Queen of Paradise's Garden

From the Publisher