I wonder about the wisdom of this book. We have a thief who wants to be more effective so he trains an animal to help him. An animal that betrays him. An animal which, the book implies, is likely to go on to crack more safes. So what is the child reader meant to take away from this?

Crackerjack Jack is a colorful, fun read-aloud about safe-cracking. I like the fact that the story will lead to so many other discussions, from figurative language to morals. There is something to inquire about on every spread of the book. And, the illustrations are awesome! I know my art teacher will be eager to point out the use of patterns on the pages. Wilker was witty with this one.

Funny illustrations and text. Not sure if younger kids will get the story but school-age kids will get a chuckle.

A very successful thief comes up with a clever plan to crack into the best safe in the world…by training a duck to use firecrackers. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

Black and white thinkers may not like that the duck gets away with the loot. But remember the book isn't supposed to be taken seriously at all. I mean, the situation is completely absurd and over the top. So don't take it too seriously and it should be fun. The wording makes a fun rhyme kids will delight in listening to, and who can't help but laugh at a thief whose downfall comes through training a duck to use firecrackers.

Crackerjack Jack is a robber, a wisecracker, a firecracker, a knucklecracker. He plans to rob a bank, using a duck as his accomplice. What Jack isn't? Terribly good at being a robber, a wisecracker, a firecracker, or a knucklecracker. He bumbles his way through the robbery, ends up knocked out cold and is arrested. The duck, however, is living life on an island vacation, already plotting his next crime. This book is a hilarious slapstick story, great for read-alouds. There's repetition, rhyme, and wacky, bright illustrations that make this playful book perfect for pre-readers and beginning readers. (Pair this one with Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and talk about the use of deviously brilliant ducks.) Crackerjack Jack has a starred review from Kirkus.

I am in love with this funny book. This would be a hit at Storytime. Jack is a thief. He likes to crack safes. But it will take a duck and a firecracker to crack the toughest bank ever. It rhymes, it has a lovely cadence. It works. On all levels.

An ace thief uses a duck to crack open his toughest safe yet—and turns into a patsy.

This is a cute book filled with rhymes and wordplay (kudos for wiseacre), a twist, and illustrations that are vibrant, funny and simple. While there is not much text, some of the words are pretty tough (some sound really funny and beg for repeating) and the rhyming can get a little stilted in places. The pictures feature in this story, from the title pages all the way through to the very end.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a weird little picture book. It is about a thief who uses a duck to break open an unbreakable bank vault, but gets injured, and caught, while the duck gets away, and plans a further life of crime.

It is silly, it is light hearted, and the duck loves crackers.

The colors and pictures are fun. The words are cute.

The story...not so much. I just can't get past the idea that the duck is going to continue a life of crime, because he escapes. I'm not quite sure what message is being given to kids.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This book has cute pictures and features nice rhymes that create a great rhythm for read alouds. Unfortunately the story itself was not that good.

This is a cute and entertaining read for children. Yes, the duck gets away with the money and lives a life of luxury, but that is not the purpose of the book. It is a silly story with a lot of wordplay that can be used for entertainment or as a mentor text for older students learning about various speech elements. The illustrations compliment the text and are large and colorful. They alone can tell the story. A cute book for a school or class library.

Cute and thoroughly entertaining read for children. The illustrations compliment the text. The rhythm of the text is sure to keep the attention of children, while the vivid colorful drawings with keep them engaged from one page to the next.