Reviews

Horn Book

"Boy and dog, with their matching freckles, facial expressions, and orange hair/fur, are plenty appealing, but the exuberant aliens steal the show with their goofy antics and appearance (picture mini-tinmen with luminous Christmas-bulb eyes, noses, and antennae). The humorous details in the art (the spaceship looks like a VW bug without tires), the story's brief suspense, and the book's small trim size make this exactly right for pre-readers to ‘read' to an adult or enjoy on their own."

School Library Journal

"This wordless offering makes a good vehicle for children to tell a story in their own words, helping them to develop pre-reading skills such as sequencing and employing descriptive language."

Kirkus Reviews

"[C]harming. ...With the nostalgic pastel-and-watercolor illustrations, this is a kid-perfect vehicle for encouraging children's minds to take off."

Horn Book

"Boy and dog, with their matching freckles, facial expressions, and orange hair/fur, are plenty appealing, but the exuberant aliens steal the show with their goofy antics and appearance (picture mini-tinmen with luminous Christmas-bulb eyes, noses, and antennae). The humorous details in the art (the spaceship looks like a VW bug without tires), the story's brief suspense, and the book's small trim size make this exactly right for pre-readers to ‘read' to an adult or enjoy on their own."

School Library Journal

"This wordless offering makes a good vehicle for children to tell a story in their own words, helping them to develop pre-reading skills such as sequencing and employing descriptive language."

Kirkus Reviews

"[C]harming. ...With the nostalgic pastel-and-watercolor illustrations, this is a kid-perfect vehicle for encouraging children's minds to take off."

Booklist

"From the series that began with Breakfast for Jack (2004) and Jack and the Missing Piece (2004), this wordless picture book offers colorful illustrations that have a lucid narrative thread as well as many rewarding details. Schories, best known as the illustrator of Alyssa Satin Capucilli's Biscuit books, shows strong visual storytelling skills here, and her high-interest premise and accessible artwork will make this book a rewarding choice for children not yet ready to read on their own."

Publishers Weekly

"The cozy familiarity of the plots, the sweet-natured hero and Schories's expert comic pacing of the vignettes (thanks to a skillful combination of spot drawings and full page renderings) adds up to plenty of fun and lots of openings for youngsters to add their own narration, dialogue, and woofs."

Horn Book

"Preschoolers should have no trouble following these wordless stories about a boy and his dog, Jack. Clear, inviting illustrations using plenty of white space feature characters whose facial expressions and body language are easy to read. The pictures lead audiences through the action with pages that engagingly alternate double-page spreads, single-page illustrations, and pages containing two or three vignettes. The boy and dog are main characters children can easily relate to; the scenarios (breakfast time and playing with blocks) are comfortingly familiar; the suspenseful action—and the pacing of it—is just right. … Both adults and children will find much to comment on as they look at the pictures in these books that offer simple, satisfying stories for pre-readers to decode."—

School Library Journal

"These wordless books chronicle ordinary events in the life of an engaging orange-and-white terrier … Schories's likeness of a bouncing barker is right on target and her pastel palette and line drawings are pleasingly retro … Both titles will appeal to young listeners, but could also prove useful to teachers practicing story writing by assigning text writing to accompany these well-paced images."—

Kirkus Reviews

"Jack is an appealing character with perky ears and a variety of beguiling expressions, and sharp-eyed children will notice that the pattern of tiny spots on Jack's nose exactly matches the pattern of the freckles on the boy's face. … varying perspectives and Jack's spunky personality provide additional interest."—

Children's Literature

"The story is told completely in the lively illustrations in vignettes, single pages, and across the spreads. Naturalistic watercolor paintings show only the household details necessary for portraying the mounting emotions as family life goes on while Jack remains neglected--despite his efforts to communicate. His actions are attractively authentic; we want to get him his food ourselves, perhaps from the cans scattered across the end-papers. Another wordless adventure of Jack's is in Jack and the Missing Piece, ideal for pre-reading story-telling practice."

Children's Literature

"The action takes place along and across the pages, with no words necessary to "read" the story. Watercolors supply the necessary light-hearted visual qualities that enhance this visual tale of canine actions. While the cat snoozes and then sneaks into the game room, Jack insists on joining in, causing havoc. The double-page scene of the tumbling tower of blocks is almost monumental. The illustrations stimulate our emotions as Jack goes through the actions of a curious young dog, and we sympathize with his banishment. Jack's other adventure in Schories's Breakfast for Jack is equally engaging and useful for story-telling as preparation for reading."

Christian School International Library Materials Guide

"Very cute with great pictures!"

Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review

"This charming little wordless book is sure to make dog lovers of all ages smile. The dog's obvious puzzlement and confusion, not to mention loss of heart is both funny and touching. Fans of the "Biscuit" books will recognize the artwork from those stories."—