Description
Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and acclaimed illustrator Darka Erdelji are back with another whimsical, wise, and witty 'Jack tale'—the third in their on-going series. Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves finds Jack, that everyman of folktales, married to his sweetheart Mary, the best woman ever born and a mighty fine baker to boot. Their lives are as happy and successful as can be, until an underhanded sea captain and Jack's own bragging get the better of our hero. Jack is sent to work on Slave Islands, and Mary is turned out of house and home. But Mary is resolute and resourceful, and has plans to find Jack and restore their fortunes.
With a hidden key, a storm at sea, and a singing mynah bird named Baxter who carries more than his share of tunes, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves will delight youngsters and oldsters alike. As a special bonus, the melodies of all of Baxter's songs are included, so that readers can learn them, sing them, and share them.
With a hidden key, a storm at sea, and a singing mynah bird named Baxter who carries more than his share of tunes, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves will delight youngsters and oldsters alike. As a special bonus, the melodies of all of Baxter's songs are included, so that readers can learn them, sing them, and share them.
Author Bio
An actor, writer, storyteller and director, Andy Jones lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Once a member of the acclaimed comedy troupe CODCO, he has had a long and accomplished career in theatre, film and television. He is the co-adaptor of the award-winning folktale Peg Bearskin and author of an acclaimed series of Jack tales. In 2019 he was named to the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.
A native of Slovenia, Darka Erdelji received a Masters of Arts in Puppet Scenography from Prague's Akadmie Muzickych Umeni. She lived in St. John's for several years; during that time, she began collaborating with Andy Jones, first on their puppet play "The Queen of Paradise's Garden", and then on their acclaimed series of illustrated Jack tales. Darka currently lives in Maribor, Slovenia, and designs puppets for Lutkovno Gledalis'e Maribor, a state-of-the-art puppet theatre housed in a renovated medieval monastery. She has illustrated books in Canada and Slovenia.
Prizes
- BMO Winterset AwardWinner 2012
- Bruneau Family Children’s/Young Adult Literature AwardWinner 2014
Review text
Praise for Jones and Erdelji's previous collaborations:
"This irreverent, buoyant version of the nativity story, as experienced by the legendary, down-to-earth figure of Jack, has all the charm of a good tale told by a master storyteller.... Captivating and hilarious, with a transcendent story at its centre, Jack and the Manger is an outstanding children's book."
—2012 Bruneau Family Children's/Young Adult Literature Award Jury
"Jones's retelling effectively captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and the cadences of Newfoundland dialect. Illustrator Darka Erdelji's illustrations are a fine match. Enchanting, magical, and very skillful, they blend rich, evocative blues, greens, and reds, delicate line drawings in black and white, and rough, folk-art representations of the characters. All in all, a wonderful, rollicking tale."
—Quill & Quire (starred review) for The Queen of Paradise's Garden
"This irreverent, buoyant version of the nativity story, as experienced by the legendary, down-to-earth figure of Jack, has all the charm of a good tale told by a master storyteller.... Captivating and hilarious, with a transcendent story at its centre, Jack and the Manger is an outstanding children's book."
—2012 Bruneau Family Children's/Young Adult Literature Award Jury
"Jones's retelling effectively captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and the cadences of Newfoundland dialect. Illustrator Darka Erdelji's illustrations are a fine match. Enchanting, magical, and very skillful, they blend rich, evocative blues, greens, and reds, delicate line drawings in black and white, and rough, folk-art representations of the characters. All in all, a wonderful, rollicking tale."
—Quill & Quire (starred review) for The Queen of Paradise's Garden
Review Quotes
"Darka Erdelji’s whimsical illustrations perfectly reflect the imaginative energy of the story, adding movement and clues about the characters on almost every page, with both small sketches and full-page spreads."
"It is a great pleasure to listen to Andy Jones tell a story, and, happily, his printed stories fill you with the same hushed anticipation from the first sentence. To read this book aloud is to become a storyteller. … A worthy follow-up to the acclaimed Jack and the Manger, which won the NL children’s literature award, and The Queen of Paradise’s Garden…"
