JACK THE GIANT CHASER

Lifting the last episode of ``Jack and the Giants' Newground'' from Chase's Jack Tales (1943), the Comptons lead into Jack's exploits with a motif from the Grimms' ``Brave Little Tailor.'' Jack has hit seven catfish with a rock, but boasts that he's ``killed me seven with one blow!'' When his impressed neighbors send him off to deal with a troublesome (but gullible) giant, clever Jack's a match for him: challenged to haul the giant's bucket of water, he threatens to move the whole creek; in a knife-throwing contest, he claims he'll hurl the giant's knife over the mountain to his uncle, or not at all. When Jack reports that his larger kinfolk are coming, the frightened giant hides in a barrel that rolls down the mountain and breaks, and the giant runs away ``past the state line.'' As a non-gory, easily read update, this does pretty well; the tricks are much as they were in the source story, though the language is less colorful. The broadly comic, cartoon-style illustrations are lively and appropriate. Fun to share; older children may enjoy comparing this with Chase's longer tale and discussing the reasons for the changes. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10)