...and before you know it there were people going up and down every road in the land from where they was at, a'wards where they was born to. And walkin down one of those roads was a very famous person. You probably know the name - yes, that's right, his name was Jack, and he was from a town called the Mount of Pearls, which was just outsida Bethlehem. Jack and the Manger retells the story of Jesuss birth as if it were a Newfoundland folktale. Its all seen through the eyes of Jack, the hero of many a story, who befriends a young couple on their walk to Bethlehem. Theres a bit of angel talk, some gravel pit camping, an edge-of-your-seat birth drama, and the low-down on how Caesar Augustuss count-and-tax plan brought them all together. Its a down-to-earth version of a heavenly tale. Gentle, playful and very funny, Jack and the Manger is the second in an on-going series of Jack tales, combining the talents of Andy Jones, one of Newfoundlands finest storytellers and actors, and Darka Erdelji, one of its most distinctive artists. It was a Christmas sensation in St. Johns when it was first published, and is sure to please even the most Grinch-like of readers. Erdelji, whose illustrations for The Queen of Paradises Garden were widely praised, captures the sly wit, intelligence and great heartedness of Joness tale in her pictures once again. Jack and the Manger is a fine Christmas tale for young and old alike. The book was designed by Veselina Tomova of Vis-a-Vis Graphics, St. Johns, and printed by The Lowe-Martin Group in Ottawa, Ontario.
