The House That Jack Built

Author(s): Gavin Bishop

Picture | Aotearoa New Zealand | History & Politics

The House that Jack Built is a Gecko Press revival of an award-winning, modern New Zealand classic, which uses a familiar nursery rhyme to tell the story of Aotearoa New Zealand in the early 19th century.

The House that Jack Built is a book with two strands. The main rhythmic text, based on the well-known rhyme, tells the story of Jack Bull, who travels to New Zealand from London as a new settler in 1798. "The detailed contemporary illustrations ...tell the story from a Maori perspective - beginning with the myth of creation: Papatuanuku the earth mother, Ranginui the sky father and their children as guardians of the land. As the story goes on and Jack's house grows, Papatuanuku is shown in the illustrations to weaken and fade.


Product Information

Winner of New Zealand Post Book Awards: Book of the Year 2000 and New Zealand Post Children's Book Award: Picture Book 2011. Shortlisted for Nielsen BookData New Zealand Booksellers' Choice Award 2000.

Gavin Bishop has written and illustrated several award-winning children's books. He has won the LIANZA Russell Clark Award for Illustration four times. Gavin lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.

General Fields

  • : 9781877467615
  • : Gecko Press
  • : Gecko Press
  • : 0.278
  • : January 2012
  • : 245mm X 295mm
  • : New Zealand
  • : January 2012
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Gavin Bishop
  • : Paperback
  • : NE
  • : Gavin Bishop
  • : 398.8
  • : 40
  • : colour illustrations