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Jack's House
Huge bulldozers, roaring cement mixers, and a super adorable pup make this the perfect board book for construction-obsessed toddlers.
Kids who love big, noisy machines can watch step-by-step as cute pup Jack builds a home by driving a bulldozer, operating a cement mixer, and using a forklift. Perfect for fans of Paw Patrol, toddlers will enjoy watching Jack build walls, frame windows, and nail down a roof.
Adorable illustrations by award-winner Mike Wohnoutka of a construction pup with a tool belt are sure to engage even the youngest dog-lover. Big, bold trucks fill the pages in Jack's House, a simplified take on the classic nursery rhyme, This Is the House that Jack Built.
Kids who love big, noisy machines can watch step-by-step as cute pup Jack builds a home by driving a bulldozer, operating a cement mixer, and using a forklift. Perfect for fans of Paw Patrol, toddlers will enjoy watching Jack build walls, frame windows, and nail down a roof.
Adorable illustrations by award-winner Mike Wohnoutka of a construction pup with a tool belt are sure to engage even the youngest dog-lover. Big, bold trucks fill the pages in Jack's House, a simplified take on the classic nursery rhyme, This Is the House that Jack Built.
28 pages, Board Book
First published September 15, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 19, 2017
Very silly!
August 1, 2023
This is the house that Jack built...
If, in contrast to the usual nursery rhyme, This is the house that Jack built when this Jack was a very macho-looking dog.
Perfect for a picture book, this story: Gorgeous illustrations show practical things... making them appear far more sumptuous-and-iconic than they ever could in real life. Even if you weren't into trucks and tools you might want to drool over:
- The rack truck, delivering windows.
- The forklift, hoisting bricks.
- The boom truck, that went "Boom."
Haha, my joke. Seriously, the boom truck raised up the roof shingles. Of course!
You can complete this book with the sense that you've had a pretty great education in basics of building a house.
FIVE STARS, indeed! And a hearty: Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof.
If, in contrast to the usual nursery rhyme, This is the house that Jack built when this Jack was a very macho-looking dog.
Perfect for a picture book, this story: Gorgeous illustrations show practical things... making them appear far more sumptuous-and-iconic than they ever could in real life. Even if you weren't into trucks and tools you might want to drool over:
- The rack truck, delivering windows.
- The forklift, hoisting bricks.
- The boom truck, that went "Boom."
Haha, my joke. Seriously, the boom truck raised up the roof shingles. Of course!
You can complete this book with the sense that you've had a pretty great education in basics of building a house.
FIVE STARS, indeed! And a hearty: Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof.
June 14, 2025
"Jack's House" is a fun and rhythmic picture book that takes young readers through the process of building a house. Inspired by the classic cumulative tale structure like "The House That Jack Built", the story cleverly introduces construction concepts and tools as different workers contribute to building Jack's house. With engaging, repetitive text and cheerful illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka, it’s a delightful read-aloud for kids. It also helps them learn about teamwork and the sequence of construction activities in a simple and entertaining way.
December 2, 2020
Oh my goodness. This was so much fun. The story is told in the pattern of the Napping house where something happens, then it connects it to everything before it. The ending is ofcourse what really sets the story off and brings on the laughs. Plus, it has just as many dogs and trucks as it does houses.
February 23, 2022
A funny twist on This is the _____ that Jack built storyline. This one features Max the dog and tons of very large, very amazing, construction vehicles. This is a very big stage for my 3 year old and so it is a big hit with a funny twist at the end.
May 7, 2023
If you're child likes vehicles, this is a must read! It follows the real story about how a dog built a house. It's a good memory book as it goes through all the steps for building a house. The illustrations are fun and wonderful to look at. Another one of my son's favorites!
January 27, 2025
This cumulative story is about the truth of the building of Jack’s house. Gorgeous illustrations take the reader through each step of construction, with the story being told in the fun repetitive style. Unexpected funny ending.
August 7, 2017
A mouthful to read out loud. Meh.
August 8, 2017
Fun take on "This is the House That Jack Built" with construction equipment.
March 28, 2018
The untold story of the house that Jack built. Told in cumulative prose and text of who really built the house, and it wasn't Jack.
January 14, 2019
An interesting twist to the original.
October 17, 2022
This is a twist on an old tale (adding folktale) that explores the idea of who really built Jack's house. Funny illustrations, Recommended for Grades K-2.
June 10, 2024
My boys love construction trucks— this was a fun twist on the House that Jack built with construction trucks!
July 5, 2017
I really liked the pictures. The story was a cute comparison to "The House That Jack Built."
October 27, 2008
In this cumulative tale and twist of the traditional yarn, Karen Magnuson Beil describes the actual construction of Jack's house, a modern brick two-story.
Beil story starts with the land being scraped and the cellar dug, and carries on until roof is shingled and the landscaping is done. Of course, to readers' delight, all of these steps must require the use of big, heavy machinery. Bright acrylic illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka depict earth movers, backhoes, cement trucks, forklifts, rack trucks, boom trucks, and finally a dump truck. The machines are driven and all work is carried out by Jack's dog Max, whose hardhat and toolbelt seem much more realistic than those of Bob the Builder. In the tradition of "The little red hen" there is a twist--did Jack really do anything to build "his" house?
A good read-aloud for preschool (and older) Story-times, this title will also be a natural for children enamored of trucks and other Big Machines. It could also be used in a construction Story-time. It would also be informative to a child whose family is building a house.
Beil story starts with the land being scraped and the cellar dug, and carries on until roof is shingled and the landscaping is done. Of course, to readers' delight, all of these steps must require the use of big, heavy machinery. Bright acrylic illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka depict earth movers, backhoes, cement trucks, forklifts, rack trucks, boom trucks, and finally a dump truck. The machines are driven and all work is carried out by Jack's dog Max, whose hardhat and toolbelt seem much more realistic than those of Bob the Builder. In the tradition of "The little red hen" there is a twist--did Jack really do anything to build "his" house?
A good read-aloud for preschool (and older) Story-times, this title will also be a natural for children enamored of trucks and other Big Machines. It could also be used in a construction Story-time. It would also be informative to a child whose family is building a house.
December 11, 2008
Beware of dog stories.
This one has adorable pictures of dogs building a house with construction vehicles, a sure boy-toddler-pleaser.
But, as Michael put it, this book is really a kiddie Communist Manifesto.
Jack wears a suit, glasses and drives a convertible. Jack's dog, Max, and other dogs actually do the physical labor of building the house. So at the end, when Jack is relaxing behind the house in a hammock, Max has Jack carted away in a truck. Max then enjoys the house that he built. Yes, it's a doggie proletariat uprising.
But didn't Jack pay for the work to be done? He's not wearing that suit and tie for fun.
Michael and I skip most of the final pages when we read this to John and just show Jack and then Max enjoying the new house. But it's going back to the library before its due date -- too bad, it's really cute, but its message isn't one we want to teach our son.
This one has adorable pictures of dogs building a house with construction vehicles, a sure boy-toddler-pleaser.
But, as Michael put it, this book is really a kiddie Communist Manifesto.
Jack wears a suit, glasses and drives a convertible. Jack's dog, Max, and other dogs actually do the physical labor of building the house. So at the end, when Jack is relaxing behind the house in a hammock, Max has Jack carted away in a truck. Max then enjoys the house that he built. Yes, it's a doggie proletariat uprising.
But didn't Jack pay for the work to be done? He's not wearing that suit and tie for fun.
Michael and I skip most of the final pages when we read this to John and just show Jack and then Max enjoying the new house. But it's going back to the library before its due date -- too bad, it's really cute, but its message isn't one we want to teach our son.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2012
Summary: Cumulative text reveals who was really responsible for the house that Jack claims to have built, and all of the trucks involved, from the bulldozer used to clear the land to the van that brought a hammock for the back yard.
At the beginning of the book, the page shows a man sitting in his car with a dog and says "This is Jack." We don't know if Jack is the dog or the man. The book goes through all the steps and construction trucks needed to build Jack's House. In the end, we find out that Jack was the man but that he didn't really build the house. Max, the dog, did all the work as the foreman and is mad at Jack for taking all the credit. Max gets Jack taken away by a big truck and he stays to enjoy his new house "This is the house that Max built."
The text doesn't flow all that well and it feels a little choppy when read aloud. It wouldn't be my first choice for a preschool story time but I would still use it if I needed something.
Themes: Trucks, building, dogs
At the beginning of the book, the page shows a man sitting in his car with a dog and says "This is Jack." We don't know if Jack is the dog or the man. The book goes through all the steps and construction trucks needed to build Jack's House. In the end, we find out that Jack was the man but that he didn't really build the house. Max, the dog, did all the work as the foreman and is mad at Jack for taking all the credit. Max gets Jack taken away by a big truck and he stays to enjoy his new house "This is the house that Max built."
The text doesn't flow all that well and it feels a little choppy when read aloud. It wouldn't be my first choice for a preschool story time but I would still use it if I needed something.
Themes: Trucks, building, dogs
March 29, 2017
Great illustrations--I think the kids will like them. A fun take on the cumulative "house that Jack built" story. That story always got on my nerves with repetitiveness, as it did here, too. But I think the kids might enjoy that. The truck-lovers will enjoy seeing all that was used. The ending? Well, maybe kids would find it funny. I was all right with "the dog" part. But the pick-up? I thought that a bit dumb. I think I'll skip the end if I read this.
1/23/13 The other truck books were not as long, and I tried singing only one song between the books. So, I had plenty of time for this one (and maybe even another!), but the kids seemed to be losing their patience. Some were with me, and others were not. I think they all liked the pictures. But perhaps I should have done more songs to get more wiggling out. That and even though the truck theme is a score for so many and fun to read aloud, there can be a point when any theme is too much.
3/29/17 Used in J preschool theme. The kids liked doing the actions of the vehicles. And both kids and adults LOVED the ending! Ironically, I was ok with all of the book, including the repetitiveness when I hadn't been before. No idea why.
1/23/13 The other truck books were not as long, and I tried singing only one song between the books. So, I had plenty of time for this one (and maybe even another!), but the kids seemed to be losing their patience. Some were with me, and others were not. I think they all liked the pictures. But perhaps I should have done more songs to get more wiggling out. That and even though the truck theme is a score for so many and fun to read aloud, there can be a point when any theme is too much.
3/29/17 Used in J preschool theme. The kids liked doing the actions of the vehicles. And both kids and adults LOVED the ending! Ironically, I was ok with all of the book, including the repetitiveness when I hadn't been before. No idea why.
January 31, 2015
Jack’s House by Karen Magnuson Beil
Format/Age: Picture Book / Pre-K to K
Genre: Dogs, houses, construction
This is the true story of the house that Jack supposedly built. Spoiler alert, it was actually Jack’s dog Max that built the house. This delightful retelling of a classic story is one that will definitely interest children. It has the repetitive story arch, with each page adding to the previous lines. Max takes us step-by-step through the process of building a house. What I like about this book is that it is full of construction trucks and shows how a house is actually built.
Read more at: https://librarycrossing.wordpress.com...
Format/Age: Picture Book / Pre-K to K
Genre: Dogs, houses, construction
This is the true story of the house that Jack supposedly built. Spoiler alert, it was actually Jack’s dog Max that built the house. This delightful retelling of a classic story is one that will definitely interest children. It has the repetitive story arch, with each page adding to the previous lines. Max takes us step-by-step through the process of building a house. What I like about this book is that it is full of construction trucks and shows how a house is actually built.
Read more at: https://librarycrossing.wordpress.com...
June 22, 2012
Little boys will love the machinery, trucks and construction workers that fill the pages of this book on how Jack built a house. But did Jack really build it? Each step of the way, there were laborers and equipment to help Jack build his house. In fact, you might ask how much of the actual building Jack did! (Note: The worker on the cover is not Jack!) Lively trucks at work in this fun picture book for ages 3 to 6.
August 12, 2014
Excellent illustrations, great use of construction equipment that kids love, and repetitive rhyming scheme that builds on itself.
September 12, 2008
Local author Karen Magnuson Beil's new picture book Jack's house is finally out. Mike Wohnoutka uses large, bright acrylics to illustrate the tale, which is a clever retelling of the classic cumulative story using, what else, trucks and vans. Yes, they look monsterous big, and boys will love hearing this great read-aloud told from the perspective of the real builder, Max the Dog.
February 2, 2017
Jack's House is a wonderful, contemporary telling of and old tale that finishes with a whimsical twist. Bright, full-page illustrations add to the book's charm. There's a welcome authenticity in the way author Karen Beil describes the various vehicles that help build Jack's house. Highly enjoyable and a good choice for read-aloud!
August 28, 2009
Hilarious book that celebrates the actual builder of Jack's House (who happens to be a dog) rather than the owner! The illustrations are large, colorful and perfect for young kids, especially those who parents are in construction.
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January 16, 2023Would be great to compare and contrast a traditional "House that Jack Built" story. I think my daughter liked it more than I did. Looks good for a Kinder read aloud and kids will love the addition of the big construction equipment.
September 17, 2008
This is such a cute story. I actually don't mind reading this one every night to Christopher.
September 23, 2008
This is a beautifully illustrated book I think little boys into big trucks and construction will love! There is a humorous twist at the end too that will have parents laughing.
September 28, 2008
I need 3 1/2 stars. But I did really like the book. I thought it was very cute.
October 11, 2008
Dog gets revenge after working so hard to build the house that Jack claims to have built. Lots and lots of big trucks in this book!
October 15, 2008
Very cute for storytime with a slight twist at the end/!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews