Schaefer. This Is the Rain

This Is the Rain is a children's book by Lola Schaefer, with art by Jane Wattenberg, published in 2001. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Here is a YouTube read-along:

Unlike the traditional "Jack" which starts with non-rhyming lines and then shifts to rhyme, this story starts a rhyming couplet, 4-beat lines, but then the subsequent rhymes do not rhyme. Here is the couplet: 

This is the ocean, blue and vast,
that holds the rainwater from the past.

Then comes the sunshine:

This is the sunshine, hot and bright,
that warms the ocean, blue and vast...

Next comes the vapor made by the sunshine, then the clouds full of vapor, then the rain falling from the clouds, then the land that absorbs the rain, then the puddles on the wet ground.

The story is told cumulatively until we get to the puddles, and then we shift to the water which is going to run back to the sea, creating a circular chain in the end:

This is the water, seeking low ground,
that runs into ditches
that pour into creeks
that drain into rivers
that flow to the sea.
This is the sunshine, hot and bright,
that makes the vapor, moist and bright,
that fills the clouds, low and gray,
that bring rain somewhere every day.

After the end of the verses, there is an informational page about "The Water Cycle on the Planet Earth."

The art is a fun pastiche of photographs and drawings:

Slade. The House that George Built

The House that George Built is a children's book by Suzanne Slade, with art by Rebecca Bond, published in 2012. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Here is a YouTube read-along:

There is a historical forward which briefly narrates the Revolution and the election of George Washington as president, and then the story of the building of the White House begins: This is the story of the President's House that George built. The story is then told with facing pages that provide a detailed narration (on the left) and the "Jack"-style verse on the right.

The verse uses rhyming couplets, and the story ends when John and Abigail Adams move into the White House in 1800 (George Washington had died in 1799).

After the conclusion of the story, there are some informative pages in the back of the book.

Beall. The House That Jack Haunted

The House That Jack Haunted is a children's book by Pamela Beall and Susan Nipp (the creators of the Wee Sing project) with art by Charles Reasoner, published in 2003. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Here is a YouTube read-along:

This is a "Jack" story, but this time Jack is a ghost. It starts off with the traditional short two-beat lines, and stays with the short lines until the end

This is the goblin
that frightens the bat
that startles the cat
that flies with the witch
that rides broom
that crosses the moon
that shines on the house that Jack haunted... 

but then Jack scares them all: BOO!

I'm not a huge fan of this book (Charles Reasoner's wonderful talents seem wasted here), but it is a good example of a "Jack" story told with all short lines, and having Jack just say "BOO" to end it all does give the story an ending (finding an ending to a cumulative tale is not always easy!).

Dragonwagon. This Is the Bread I Baked for Ned

This Is the Bread I Baked for Ned is a children's book by Crescent Dragonwagon, with art by Isadore Seltzer, published in 1989. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This is a "Jack" style cumulative story which starts using the long line option right from the start, along with some rhyming. For example:

This is the cheese, round and yellow
to go with the bread I baked for Ned
baked for Ned—what a fellow! —
baked for Ned in the morning.

The story goes from bread to cheese to greens, then comes vinegar and olives and oil, plus soup, along with tulips on the table, and plates and spoons of course... but then lots of people show up for dinner; not just Ned! And one of the people has brought her cat, which causes trouble: 

So the finale of the story involves the washing of dishes and cleaning up after the chaos. So, it's all over... until another day brings other meals tomorrow.

I'm not a big fan of the realistic type of story (I prefer something more wacky and whimsical), but the book is a good example of a cumulative "Jack" story with rhyming couplets, along with a nice winding down at the end of the story.

Farber. This is the Ambulance Leaving the Zoo

This is the Ambulance Leaving the Zoo is a children's book by Norma Farber, with art by Tomie de Paola, published in 1975. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This is a book by a famous author and an even more famous illustrator! This is a chain like "The House that Jack Built" with the person or thing that is the subject of one line becoming the object in the next line. Unlike the way "Jack" is usually told, the story is not cumulative, and it's not in verse. Instead, it has another stylistic twist... can you see what it is? Here's how it starts:

This is the ambulance leaving the zoo.
This is the bus stopping to let the ambulance whiz by.
These are the cars piling up behind the stopped bus.
These are the drivers of the cars piling up.

Do you get it? It's an alphabetical story: A for ambulance, B for bus, C for cars, D for drivers, etc. Read the book to see the rest of the alphabet... as you've probably guessed, the Z will be zoo, and Y is a yak in the zoo. 

And look: it's not just an alphabet, but a circular alphabet! The first line is This is the ambulance leaving the zoo.

I don't think I've seen another alphabet book done in this chained "Jack" style; it could be a great experiment for students to try!

Godfrey. The World that God Made

The World that God Made is a children's book by Janice Godfrey (although some editions give the author as Kathleen Bostrom), with art by Peter Adderley, published in 1997. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with both full-page illustrations and also border art that features all kinds of wonders of creation. I'm reading the book at the Internet Archive, so I cannot experience the lift-the-flap part of the book, but I've ordered a copy so that I can find out just how that works.

Unlike many other "Jack" adaptations, this one revels in the longer lines and it builds a substantial amount of text by the time this short book is finished:

The chain follows the pattern of creation in Genesis, starting with light, then earth and sea, then plants, then sun and moon, then fish and birds, then animals, and finally people. 

Here's an example of one of the two-page spreads; lovely!

Brown. The World that Jack Built

The World that Jack Built is a children's book by Ruth Brown, with art by the author, published in 1991. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This beautifully illustrated book by Ruth Brown has an environmental take on the "Jack" story. The cat does not appear in the text, but you will find the cat in every illustration, exploring the world. The chain grows as the cat goes farther and farther from the house, finally reaching "the hills that form the valley that surrounds the woods that shelter the meadows that border the stream that flows past the trees that grow by the house that Jack built." It's a valley full of beauty:

Then, the story shifts to the next valley over. Now the story a reverse countdown, not cumulative, backing us through the same features as before — woods, hills, meadows, stream, trees ... but the trees are not there anymore, because they are next to the factory that Jack built.

The "house that Jack built" was just an excuse to explore the beautiful world in the first half of the book, but the "factory that Jack built" is the key to understanding the second half of the book. Very nicely done!

Mallat. The Picture that Mom Drew

The Picture that Mom Drew is a children's book by Kathy Mallat, with art by the author and photographs by Bruce McMillan, published in 1997. It is available at the Internet Archive.

As you can see, the lines in the chain are all short, but they are presented with some creative typography, which is obviously very appropriate for this simple story about a painting:

And here is the final picture, as shown in a photograph of the picture showing her two daughters on the beach:

There are technical notes about Kathy Mallat's tools in the back of the book, along with a glossary of the technical terms in the chain:

It's not the most exciting story, but it is definitely a different kind of take on the Jack chain.

Trussell-Cullen. This Is the Seed

This Is the Seed is a children's book by Allen Trussell-Cullen, with art by Kelly Riley, published in 1996. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This is a very simple "Jack" book with short lines only; this is how it starts: with a seed that blows in the wind:

Here's how the chain finishes:

This is the boy
who ate the slice
that was cut from the bread
that was baked from the flour
that was ground from the wheat
that grew in the soil
that covered the seed
that blew in the wind.

And it ends with: YUM!

Yeoman. The DIY House that Jack Built

The DIY House that Jack Built is a children's book by John Yeoman, with art by Quentin Blake, published in 1994. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This book uses the traditional "Jack," ending with "This is the farmer sowing his corn." What makes the book distinctive is the commentary that appears on the facing pages. It starts with the malt: Jack didn't order any malt! But here comes the malt, and the rat is already rejoicing, as you can see:

This is a very cute idea for a "Jack" book which allows your imagination to run wild without having to worry about the formula itself. Here the dog volunteers to help Jack with the building, and the "clumsy" cat has got it in for the rat!

And that shaven-and-shorn priest...? He cut himself shaving. So cute!

McKernan. This Is the Day

This Is the Day is a children's book by Llewellyn McKernan, with art by Ann Barrow, published in 1994. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This is like a hymn of praise, told in the style of "The House that Jack Built." Note the distinctive use of a refrain at the end of each recitation: Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I like that device very much!

The setting is a farm, and it uses animal sounds rather than rhyme. Here is the final recitation; as you can see, it ends arbitrarily at the goat without any real sense of ending: it could go on and on! Most of the lines are short, with just a few of the longer lines here and there (the rhythm is a bit iffy):

This is the goat;
Its bell goes tra-la
at the lamb who baas
at the dove, meek and mild,
which coos at the cow
that moos at the pig
that squeals at the hen
that clucks at the rooster
that crows at the boy
who comes out and plays
with them all on the farm
the sun shines on
as it dawns on this day
the Lord has made.
   Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Moon. This Is the Earth

This Is the Earth is a children's book by Pat Moon, with art by Lisa Flather, published in 1994. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This is an ecological "House that Jack Built" story, and it is a grim one. The cover illustration is in color, but the interior illustrations are black and white, appropriately so, as you will see.

The chain goes seeds - trees - birds and beasts as the earth becomes filled with life:
These are the birds and beasts who feed
Beneath the shade and light of the trees,
That grew from the seeds
That lay in the earth that God made.

Note that the story shifts quickly to the longer lines with rhyme. It might have been nice to have these opening pages be in color to emphasize the contrast with what happens next, when humans come on the scene and start burning things, which alters how the chain is told:
These are the men 
Who have no need for bird or beast,
And burn the trees,
That grew from the seeds
That lay in the earth that God made.

The fire begins a new chain which ends in an apocalyptic flood: smoke - air - sun - dust - rain... with a final vision of a lifeless earth:
No man, no beast, no tree, no sound
Disturb the waters that flooded and drowned
The dust that lay upon the ground,
That was dried by the sun the Earth spins round,
That warms the air like a ghost earthbound,
That's trapped by the smoke like a shroud which surrounds,
Made by the men 
Who had no need for bird or beast,
And burned the trees,
That grew from the seeds
That lay in the earth that God made.

This is a grim story, but artfully told, and the art is beautiful, ending with the one illustration in color at the end, suggesting that, perhaps, the humans could make a different choice:

Troughton. The Quail's Egg

The Quail's Egg is a children's book by Joanna Troughton, with art by the author, published in 1988. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Troughton indicates that the story comes from Sri Lanka, but she does not give her source; I'm 99% sure that she was relying on Parker's Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, "The Female Quail," which is available at the Internet Archive. A quail's egg rolled into a rock, and she needed help to retrieve it. The mason refused to help, as did the village headman, and also the pig, the vedda (forest dweller), the timbol thorn, the fire, the water-pot, the elephant, the rat, and finally the cat who said yes, so the final cumulative chain is: "Well then, the Cat went to catch the Rat, the Rat went to creep into the ear of the Elephant, the Elephant went to make muddy the Water-pot, the Water-pot went to quench the Fire, the Fire went to burn the Timbola, the Timbola went to prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda went to shoot the Pig, the Pig went to feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman went to tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason went to cut the rock, and take and give the egg." Parker helpfully cites some other versions of the story.

In her preface to the story, Troughton compares the story to the English folktale of the old woman and her pig, which is indeed the most well-known "chain of command" stories. Troughton has simplified the chain in her version, leaving out the vedda and the headman; the mason is the only human being in her chain, and she says "mouse" instead of "rat." Here you can see the cat, the mouse, the elephant, the water, the fire, the creeper, the pig, the mason, and then the quail... with a newly hatched quail chick!

I like how the cover inside papers show all the characters!

Aliki. Hush Little Baby

Hush Little Baby: A Folk Lullaby is a children's book with the lyrics of a traditional folksong and illustrations by Aliki, published in 1968. It is available at the Internet Archive.

As you can see from the cover, the illustrations are very charming. That little kitten appears in all the illustrations even though it is not part of the song lyrics. The kitten is not sure about this dog named Rover!

This is another "problems and solutions" type of story, although it is admittedly not much of story... but it is an adorable song. You can read more about the song and its history at Wikipedia: Hush Little Baby. Aliki is also a prolific children's book author and illustrator, so I'll have more of her work to share in future posts.

Baehr. Mouse in the House

Mouse in the House is a children's book by Patricia Baehr, with art by Laura Lydecker, published in 1994. It is available at the Internet Archive.

Mrs. Teapot has a nice life in her nice house... until a mouse comes and nibbles her book and nibbles her cake and sips her tea. The mailman advises her to get a pet, and the baker gives her a kitten, but the kitten breaks the china. The butcher then gives her a dog, but the dog digs holes in Mrs. Teapot's garden. The grocer gives her an owl, but the owl just sleeps while Mrs. Teapot filled the holes in the garden, swept up the broken china, and then flies figure-eights... but the mouse is still nibbling. The pet-store owner gives her a snake; the snake sleeps in her bed, so she doesn't get a good night's sleep. The mailman recommends a trap, but when she puts cheese in the trap, the mouse has no interest.

In the end, she sends the snake and the owl and the dog and the cat away with the mailman, and happily shares her house with the mouse.

There is a nice little story here; students might enjoy putting this into verse, or maybe they can think of some other things that Mrs. Teapot might try before she decides to share her house with the mouse, giving the mouse a book of his own, a cake of his own, and his own cup of tea too.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this chain tale type; I think I'll call it a chain of problems and solutions. In this case, though, the additions to the chain are solutions to the original problem, rather than being solutions to the problem caused by each new item. That makes it less of a chain, but it's still fun to read, especially because the author develops the story cumulatively, reminding us each time of the accumulation of (failed) solutions to problem of the mouse-in-the-house.

Stobbs. Johnny-Cake

Johnny-Cake is a children's book with text by Joseph Jacobs, with art by William Stobbs, published in 1973 (Jacobs' text was originally published in 1890). It is available at the Internet Archive.

The version of Johnny-Cake from Joseph Jacobs' English Fairy Tales has often been anthologized and reprinted, so the key feature of this version is the illustrations, which are big and bright; the Johnny-Cake is running and rolling. Here he passes by the well-diggers and taunts them:

The chain is cumulative: "I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you, too-o-o!" ... until the sneaky fox finally puts a stop to Johnny-Cake's escape.

There is nothing really special about Jacobs' version of the story, so I've given this just a 2-star rating; in addition to different illustrations, I think we need different versions of the story too. By the time this project is finished, there will be a large selection of stories about Johnny-Cake, Gingerbread Man, etc., and you can find them all with this label: Type: Johnny-Cake.

Perle. The Fisherman and His Wife

The Fisherman and His Wife, with Benjy and Bubbles is a children's book by Ruth Lerner Perle and Susan Horowitz with art by Giulio Maestro, published in 1979. It is available at the Internet Archive.

This book is part of the "Benjy and Bubbles" series, where Benjy the "lovable bunny" and Bubbles the "naughty cat" are added to traditional folktales like "The Fisherman and His Wife" (made popular by the Brothers Grimm; Wikipedia). Other titles in the series include: Little Red Riding Hood with Benjy and Bubbles, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella.

The story is told in two ways: there is a rhyming version with lots of details, along with a very simple version printed on the pages with the illustrations, as you can see here. The simple version of the story uses a vocabulary of fewer than 100 words. I really like this pairing of the story-in-verse with the super-simple version of the story.

Bubbles the Cat is there sitting on the woman's lap, and Benjy the Rabbit is in the boat:

Here you can see Benjy with the fisherman, and he is mentioned in the rhyming version on the left:

You can see them both again here; Benjy and Bubbles don't change the plot of the story, but it is fun to look for them in the pictures:

This story is a "who is more powerful?" type of chain where the fisherman's wife uses the magic fish to become more and more powerful: she goes from a shack to a small house, then a big house; then she wants to be king, then emperor of all the earth, and then lord of the sea and sky. Finally, that is too much for the fish, and he returns everything as it was at the beginning, with the fisherman and his wife living in their small house.

Dan Ashliman has collected other versions of this story: The Fisherman and His Wife and other folktales about dissatisfaction and greed.