Little House in the Tropics: The Tree House That Jack Built by Bonny Verburg and Mark Teague

HERE IS THE BOY, UP IN A TREE

WHERE HE BUILDS A HOUSE.OVERLOOKING THE SEA.

YES! THIS IS THE HOUSE JACK BUILT.


Jack has developed his construction skills quite a bit since he built that first little house.He's branched out into beach front real estate, and put up quite the little seaside chalet, complete with fancy turrets, a widow's walk overlook, multi-floor decks, one with hammock, and other tropical accouterments.

Jack doesn't live alone there. He has quite a few animal friends.

HERE IS THE FLY THAT BUZZES BY THE TREE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT.
THIS IS THE LIZARD THAT SNAPS THE FLY THAT BUZZES BY.

In traditional cumulative tale style, animals appear just in time for cameo appearances. A pet parrot pecks at the fly-snapping iguana, and a cat takes a turn on the swing until the dog gets into the act and chases him higher in the tree. Snakes and monkeys hang out on the limbs of the tree with Jack, until a bell sounds, calling all to storytime, in Bonnie Verberg's rhyming re-do of the classic, The Tree House That Jack Built (Orchard Books, 2014).

As parent-preferred picture books do, this one ends at bedtime, as all the tree house residents settle down while Jack reads from their favorite bedtime story book, which is, of course, The Tree House That Jack Built. This story works through its spoof of the favorite nursery rhyme and the unique illustrations of Mark Teague, whose banyan-tree house is filled with fascinating details full of humor. See more of Teague's work with Jane Yolen in the best-selling How Do Dinosaurs... series and his own Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School (LaRue Books) or the popular Snowmen series with Caralyn Buehner.