Wicked Jack

by Connie Nordheim Woolridge (Adapted by), Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)

Living alone in the Great Dismal Swamp, Wicked Jack is visited by Saint Peter and granted three wishes that he uses to trick the Devil, so that when he dies he is refused by Heaven and Hell and originates the jack-'o-lantern legend.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Melki]

Jack loves nothing more than playing tricks . . . mean, nasty tricks. But after he makes a fool of the Devil and his minions, Jack may find himself with no place to spend his afterlife.

I loved the illustrations by Jack Hillenbrand.

[GoldGato]

I had never heard of the Wicked Jack folktale from the South, so this book was not only fun, but enlightening. Quite frankly, I couldn't stop laughing. The illustrations by Will Hillenbrand are marvelous, with the portrayal of Jack being clever. This is a great story to help educate the young-uns about karma and how it will eventually come back to bite ya.


Book Season = Autumn (when mysterious lights flicker)

[Kristina]

Wicked Jack, an Appalachian folk tale is a fabulous older elementary read aloud for Halloween.

[Catalina]

Summary: Wicked Jack was a mean, old, bitter blacksmith. Because of the bad deeds he did during his time on earth, including his behavior towards St. Peter and the Devil, he is refused access to heaven or hell. He is now trying to create a place of his own, being stuck in between heaven and hell, never to find peace.
Peace Perspective: Wicked Jack is a story in the good style of folk tales that were brought from Europe. The retributive justice that is applied in the case of the blacksmith will teach the audience that one should be kind to people around them, as they never know how their mean-spirited actions might have terrible consequences.

[Lori]

A fun story about mean ol' Jack, a man meaner than a rattlesnake, a man so mean that ultimately he is unwelcome in Heaven and in Hell! This is an adaptation of an old folktale from the South, and is often credited with explaining the origin of jack-o-lanterns. Wonderfully illustrated (I love the portrayal of Jack), laugh out loud funny with a subtle moral message as well.

[Samantha]

Great storytelling story.

[Cat]

Fun tale for grades 3 and up. Story is nice retelling of folktale and the illustrations are wonderful!

[Hannah McManus]

2.5 stars
Mildly humorous, but not the type of tale I generally enjoy.