Jack and the Giant Barbecue - Hardcover

Author Eric A. Kimmel is well known for the tales he has retold from around the world. Some of his best-known titles are Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (a Caldecott Honor book), Gershon’s Monster, Anansi and the Talking Melon, and The Runaway Tortilla. A former professor of children’s literature, he lives in Portland, Oregon.

Ages 5-8— Though Jack loves West Texas barbecue, his mother will not cook for him-not since his daddy died of a broken heart when a giant stole his recipe book. Vowing to get it back, Jack climbs Mount Pecos, steps onto the clouds, and follows a smoky sweet smell to a massive barbecue shack. The jukebox in the corner becomes a willing ally, hiding Jack as the giant comes in. After sniffing the air and downing vast quantities of ribs, sausages, and sweet tea, the giant falls asleep. Jack retrieves his father’s recipe book, turns the jukebox into a sled with giant rib bones, and pushes it across the greasy floor and out the door. The giant awakes, jumps in his pickup truck and chases the boy back through the clouds. Jack opens his own barbecue shack and lets the giant work for him. Full-color illustrations are done in gouache with colored pencil accents. Kimmel’s version of “Jack and the Beanstalk” is served up with country music playing on the jukebox and rows of pickup trucks in the parking lot. Though youngsters may miss the many references to country songs, they will enjoy the vivid language and larger-than-life elements- the giant’s truck flattens all the mountains in West Texas, making that area “flat as a skillet all the way to New Mexico.” Libraries in which Kimmel’s other Southwestern tales are popular will want this one. — School Library Journal, April 2012