Jack Jack: Return of the Chickens – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Humorous, inventive, animal-led, paleontology.
Children’s book title: Jack Jack: Return of the Chickens.
Children’s author: Ben Garrod.
Children’s illustration: Charli Vince.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Zephyr.
ISBN: 9781035906802.
Recommended for children aged: 7+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback March 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: Younger animal lovers who are confident in their reading ability.
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Our review:
Dogs are man’s best friend – everyone knows that, right? But did you know they actually think we’re a bit gross? No? Well, meet Jack-Jack, who was recently rescued from Africa and is now living in the countryside with his human Ben, four new doggy neighbours, and the grumpiest cat ever, called Newbie.
Jack-Jack lives a very content life. He isn’t keen on running, playing fetch, or being bought new bouncy balls, but he does enjoy lying in the sun, eating snacks, and pondering the strange ways of humans! He’s also called upon time and again to be a hero – and well, a dog’s got to do what a dog’s got to do – but… resting! He comes up against a small but ferocious invader of his garden, goes fossil hunting (which is fraught with danger too), and even gets filmed exercising. Then, finally, the chickens appear – and he doesn’t even want to think about what that might mean!
Our verdict:
This is the third book in Jack-Jack’s series of adventures, and even if you haven’t read the first two, you’ll get enough information here to understand what’s happened previously to this sunny little dog. His adventures are gentle, the problems aren’t desperate, and the solutions are all Jack-Jack-sized! I’m not entirely sure why the unpleasant dog appears at the beginning of the book, as he isn’t mentioned again – whereas the other events all have a cohesiveness and obvious place in the storyline.
There are sympathetically drawn illustrations, and each part of the story is captured as a short graphic spread at the end of each chapter. This is a very satisfying read, which sees the world from a dog’s point of view and is written in a humorous way that will appeal to most readers aged ten and under.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Jack-Jack thinks humans are gross! He much prefers being a dog. If you could choose a small animal to be, what would you choose?
- Some animals have what would be superpowers if we had them! What animal would you be, based on its special abilities?
- Not very keen on exercising, Jack-Jack hides all the balls Ben buys him and is a very unenthusiastic participant in his exercise video. What do you think of how Jack-Jack finally used all the bouncy balls to save the day?
- Jack-Jack was not impressed with the chickens arriving in his garden. Why do you think they were very different from those he knew in Africa?
- If you moved here from Africa as a child – or a dog – what differences would you notice?
- Jack-Jack’s owner, Ben, has given his dog a much better life by adopting him and bringing him home. What other animals can be adopted?
Many thanks to Zephyr for the review copy.
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