Jack the Tripper

by Gene Barretta

Book Overview

A mysterious villain is tripping the poor, innocent students at Dizzie Day Elementary School. They re tripping; they re flipping; they re flying through the air Worst of all, they re losing their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152061320
• ISBN13: 9780152061326
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
• Length: 44 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.1" x 10.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

The Little Girl who cried

Kids can give the silliest and most ridiculous excuses on the subject of losing their homework. This book shows its readers all the convoluted events that follow after the main character, Polly, frantically enters her classroom and terrifies her classmates at the Benjamin Dizzie Elementary School. Polly claims she was tripped real hard and her "extra long book report" was stolen by a mysterious and wicked swift man wearing a black top hat and cape. After her account, one by one the other students have their own misfortunes with the same dastardly villain who calls himself //Jack the Tripper//. The whole scenario creates panic and concern amongst the school authorities. And when the police get involved, the tensions run higher, leaving the headmaster no other choice but to cancel the annual Anything-Goes Fun-Filled Parade. It was very comical and humorous how the students (especially Polly) `fess up about //Jack the Tripper//. Young readers witness how one lie can cause such mayhem. This book is a great read, and I highly recommend it, even though I have had one mom-friend comment how pathetic it was for the author to name a children's book after an infamous historical person with such a terrible reputation. I think I understand where author and illustrator Gene Barretta was coming from when he conceptualized this story. The whole chronicle was based on the premise of "serial" lying, and no character would've fit the glove better than //Jack the Tripper//. The name is catchy, and the setting is illustrated in an 1870s Victorian-era style with the cobblestone roads and Old English architecture. Gene Barretta's and his son's picture on the back flap clearly pay homage to Charles Dicken's //Oliver Twist// as well. Readers will enjoy the end when the plot twists and becomes very reminiscent of the popular tale, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." The illustrations are engaging, colorful, and funny, and the emotions are drawn and depicted for each character in such an emphasized manner - what I feel was the formula for Barretta's success with the book. Gene Barretta, a longtime in-demand illustrator for several children's books who also does animated clips for //Sesame Street// and //Between the Lions//, never ceases to impress his targeted audience. The website //www.genebarretta.com// also provides fun activities for kids, including a //Jack the Tripper// interactive puzzle and animated clips for its viewers to enjoy. Kudos to Barretta and his innate ability to capture the interests of both young and adult readers with his larger-than-life drawings. I personally want to express my gratitude to the author for inculcating the value of honesty so early to its audience of young readers. Reviewed by Kaye Cloutman

A zany tale of detective fantasy

Gene Barretta's JACK THE TRIPPER tells of students at Dizzie Day Elementary who are flying through the air and facing vanishing homework. Parents are frantically searching for clues as to Jack the Tripper's whereabouts in this zany tale of detective fantasy.