Jack Goes West

A Jack Book #4

by Mac Barnett

A new early reader series by award-winning and bestselling creators, Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli.

HI, JACK! Jack lives with his friends. He is a good guy, but he can also be bad.

IN THIS BOOK:
*Jack and the Lady ride on a train.
*They stay at a ranch with horses and cows.
*Someone robs a bank.
NOW WHO WOULD DO THAT, JACK?

A perfect read-aloud with snappy, rhythmic text, this series is destined to delight fans of Elephant and Piggie.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Westerns, Animals, Juvenile, Chapter Books

80 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2020

About the author

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.

Reviews

[Dylan Teut]

I couldn't make any sense of the plot. I don't know how a beginning reader could begin to comprehend what is going on. Just bizarre.

[Malissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just when you think it can't get worse, it does.

[✨Arline✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aren’t always clear good guys and bad guys.

[Ariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idk why I started listening to these. These are terrible lmao

[Clayton Whitfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but I read it to an infant who couldn’t care less what the plot was.

[Paige]

I read this in 2021. Here at the end of 2021 I am going over what I read throughout the year and writing my lasting impressions of the book.

This series and I just don't jive. It isn't for me.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great choice for beginning readers in first and second grade. The text is simple but the story is a little longer while still keeping limited words per page.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read on IG by Mac Barnett 4/21/20

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli together, sign me up. Bringing together their wit and artistic style for a series about a naughty rabbit makes for a hilarious time. In this book, Jack is out West with the Lady who is getting swindled by a bad man. Then when the tables get turned, the two pull a little heist of their own. Like Spaghetti Westerns the characters are not good role models, but are meant to serve as lessons, and in this case, comedic fodder. It is rare for an easy reader to depict a morally grey realm (even though picture books and fairy tales do it regularly), which means it offers an interesting opportunity. Naughty characters will certainly appeal to this age group, and the creators' narrative style presentation encourages interaction while reading. This means that older readers can easily open up a dialogue with their younger charges about tropes, why people steal, and what makes someone good or bad. A bold and funny choice.

[Jody Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a bunch of these Jack books so I'm going to put the same review for all of them because the ideas are basically the same. The only thing that I'll change is the star rating (rounded up because Goodreads doesn't offer a half star rating)

Jack Blasts Off! - 3.5/5
Too Many Jacks - 4.5/5
Jack at Bat - 4/5
Jack Goes West - 4/5
Jack at the Zoo - 4.5/5

I love the artwork, the simple sentence structure, and the characters. I like that Jack is unapologetically kind of a jerk, but you love him anyway. He's just doing his own thing, which is refreshing when it comes to a children's book series. Not everyone is happy and perfect all the time, even though most, I feel, do have good intentions. Like Jack. He may make messes, he may snack too much, he may be lazy, but you can still see him being a good person in his own way. I like the series, and will look for more. Good contrast to the many Elephant and Piggie books that are incredibly popular in my library.

[Amy Oberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Positives: A refreshing remake of the standard "easy reader;" use of humor; bold illustrations; bonus "how-to-draw" pages at the end

Drawbacks: The main character's behavior is, at times, more than simply mischievous, and the consequences aren't necessarily indicative of what would happen in real life.

Verdict: This series might reach the reluctant reader (perhaps a bit older) who is motivated by seeing a character who finds himself in tough spots (but still manages to get out of them). I could see myself sharing it one-on-one with a student/patron, but not necessarily as a featured read-aloud for a larger group.

[Nicola · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Jack blasts off" and "Jack Goes West" ended up on our library request list because we were looking for other projects involving Greg Pizzoli (though this is as illustrator, rather than author). Miss 6 thought these books were funny but I didn't like the moral messaging - the characters are mean (and in Jack Goes West they end up running off with stolen money from a heist). We won't be reading any more books from this series.


Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book out because I have just listened to a podcast of an interview of Mac Barnett and I remember reading some of his books when I was a librarian. He talked about how books do not have to have the typical page turner‘s with tension and end story arcs and all that and I can definitely see that in this book. I like the images OK and the story was a bit weird. But apparently that’s common for Mac Barnett books. I’d have to ask him children what they think of it. In the end Jack runs away with a woman and take some of the bank money so it’s not exactly a story that shows good examples of proper behavior.

[Kayti · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not saying that all books for kids need to have a moral or even that the main character needs to be a good guy, but this book doesn’t play with the idea of gray in a way that makes sense. The main character gets away with stealing money from a bank and it’s seen as a good thing. No. That’s bad. There wasn’t any stealing from the rich to feed the poor situation here either. He stole money from a bank for himself. The book also has weird romantic themes that just feel out of place in an early reader. I would definitely recommend other books illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, but this isn’t one of them.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack is back with another action packed adventure. Although the bunny still lacks any redeeming qualities of honesty, he does manage to be a clever sleuth, in his trip to the wild west with the old lady. Lady Law is a great addition to this tale, fair and efficient. I love Greg Pizzoli's simple yet so expressive cartoonish illustrations, and the fact that he provides a "How to Draw Slim" page in the back for budding artisits.

[Jennifer Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this for the 5yo without knowing the Jack tag line (Jack is a good guy, but he can also be bad.”). I just got it because he likes cowboys. But surprise, this is a perfect read for a kid that can smell a moral a mile away. Funny, deadpan, a twist at the end, AND a drawing lesson? We are in. We’ve since read all the others and I definitely recommend them for kids who like mischief in their humor.

[Adrienne G · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Mac Barnett's books, I really do. But to be honest I am not a fan of this series! I get that Jack is supposed to be naughty but for me it highlights bad behaviors. This one was not as bad (since it focuses on the character "Slim" more than Jack) but it still had bad behaviors, especially at the end! It's just really not a series for me.

[Sandra Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not a typical story for kids, but I'm ok with bending the metal cookie cutter into something different. My audience hung on every word and they both expected and didn't expect that ending. I don't know how to explain it other than exactly like that. My copy has a rabbit main character, but the image in Goodreads is a monkey? My favourite part was how The Lady was depicted. Hilarious!

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witness the start of the Jack series of picture books, starting off with clever introductions of the various characters. Concepts and pictures are entertaining. Yet, when you take a closer look, they're as simple as could be. Just right for readers aged 4-8.

The villian is pretty hilarious, in his simplicity. And fortunately, there's a most satisfying ending, a FIVE STAR ending.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I understand that this is supposed to be funny and kids might find it funny, I just found it to be a little weird. The characters actions were just odd. The sentence structure was very easy to read though. I may be missing a larger storyline having not read the other books, but it seems the dog and the old lady may be criminals?

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

My kids liked this book bc they think the old lady is funny looking. Personally, it was awful. The bandit proposing to the old woman was weird & not necessary for the plot. Especially when the book says, "Wow! He works fast." Awful.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best book of the series, in my opinion. This is the book that got my son hooked on Jack books. I'm not a fan of the rest, but this one is decent.

Jack and Lady go west to a dude ranch. A man falls in love with lady and wants him to marry him. To say the least, Jack isn't a fan of the guy.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have rated this higher, maybe to a 4, but Jack does something bad (even criminal) at the end, in fact the same thing the bad guy gets punished for, and kids are expected to laugh and approve. Not a good lesson in the end. Pity, because it easily could have been more wholesome.

[Ellon · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star (I did not like it)

I liked the first three Jack books when I read them a few years ago but I just read the zoo one (and didn't love it) and this one, which I really didn't like. This is just so weird and ends with a terrible message. I will not be adding this to our library collection.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am predisposed to love anything Mac Barnett does, so take my review with a grain of salt, but I loved this easy reader. It’s so funny. A truly engaging easy reader (outside of Mo Willems of course) is rare, and I think I liked this more than George did. It has chapter-ish sections.

[Le Maistre Chat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre plot about marriage proposals and jealousy while staying at a dude ranch next to a bank that keeps getting robbed. I'm not sure how young children are supposed to make sense of the plot.
Why does Goodreads have a monkey on the cover when Jack is normally a jackrabbit?

[S.C. Yung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really digging this early reader series; Barnett and Pizzoli infuse the narratives with a sense of humor that a lot of other readers seem to be lacking.

[Cheryl]

Not Found

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun early reader series.

[Yapha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was great until the ending. I'm not really comfortable with the message it is sending.

Copy provided by publisher