Hit the Road, Jack

<br />In middle school it was Stephen King, college it was Joan Didion, but high school…Jack Kerouac ruled my heart! All the Beats actually, but Jack Kerouac’s work and words captured a feeling that I can still feel bouncing around my heart and soul. Sooooo….when I saw this book across the kids’ room of my local library, hehe….I may have trampled a kid or two trying to get to it first! ;)<br /><br />Hit the Road, Jack by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Ross MacDonald is a gorgeous book. Warm, soft, glowing colors and images embrace readers with heart and wonder. Topped off with old school typewriter font, the words and presentation capture an era and spirit in the pages.<br /><br />Cars, trucks, trains, freights, highways, and byways lure, push and pull our leather clad Jack-rabbit along on his adventure across America. Fun, lively action words capture the constant movement and propel the reader along from page to page--place to place. Words like—rambling, skedaddle, vamoose, and bopping! The language was invigorating and addictive. I wanted to jump in a car and hit the road! :)<br /><br /><b>”Here’s to early morning,<br />When the air is tinged with blue,<br />And everything’s beginning,<br />And the whole world calls to you.”</b><br /><br />I do wish we learned more about each place, city, or state along the road though. The pages presented more of a glimpse and feeling than fact. A feeling that filled my heart with love and wonder of travel and the road. <br /><br />A fun introduction for young readers to Mr. Kerouac and a reminder to fans how much he is missed. <br /><br /><br /><b>3.5 Stars</b><br /><br />

I saw this in the library and immediately the song started playing in my head: " Hit the road Jack and don't come back no more...." This book is not based on that song but it certainly has the cadence of a song. At first I was thinking it would make a great story time book but it is too long and I suspect some parents would not be too happy at the encouragement to hit the road and beg for food and lodging. However, it is a fun read excellent for the right family. It might be good to prepare a child for a family road trip for example. I certainly enjoyed reading it.

I like the old-fashioned flair depicted by the illustrations and font, but I wonder who the audience is for a picture book based on Kerouac's On the Road.

the pictures/art was really beautiful and the words were just really cool.

“Zip the backpack. Lock the door. Turn out all the lights.”<br /><br />A picture book inspired by Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”, an all-time favorite of mine! In this book, Jack is a rabbit, maybe a jackrabbit? He travels across the USA and sees the country and it's people.<br />I liked the read, and can see it being used to expose younger readers to the Kerouac legend. And the artwork is pretty cool, with a retro old timey vibe to it! I'm definitely adding this to my Kerouac collection!

This is absurd.

It's out of order

Kinda weird

3 stars for this picture book homage to writer Jack Keorouac

I've been a fan of Ross MacDonald's picture books since "Another Perfect Day." His retro style, done in watercolor and pencil crayon, is filled with a warm yellow glow, that looks like sunshine hitting the paper. "Hit the Road, Jack" celebrates life on the open road and the joys of traveling cross country and was loosely inspired by Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." Author Robert Burleigh gives us a jackrabbit named Jack who is itching to travel and to see America. Setting out in New York he walks, bikes, hitchhikes and rides the rails from sea to shining sea, where he finally lands in San Francisco. But for Jack, the city by the bay is just one more stop, because for guys like Jack there's only one rule: "Never, Never Stop." <br /><br />"Hit the Road, Jack" attractively exalts the world of roadside diners, tourist attractions and taking the time to appreciate our country's beautiful scenery. My only complaint about this otherwise wonderful picture book is that some of the illustrations of the cities that Jack passes through look a little too generic. For example, when Jack lands in Chicago, we see him on South Halsted Street, but with the exception of a few jazz club signs, the buildings lack much in the way of detail. The skyscrapers in the background could be from any big city. The text frequently mentions places that Jack is passing through, but instead the illustrations give us depictions of Jack having a picnic or sleeping in a car. Now, as an illustrator myself, I don't believe that an illustrator's job is to literally interpret every word of the text, but I do feel that some of MacDonald's choices seem slightly generic. The illustrations are warm, funny, colorful and wonderfully composed, but I do think that on a few occasions MacDonald missed an opportunity to do something spectacular. For example when Jack passes through the salt flats the text reads, "Over the salt flats, on and on, The horizon thick with reds, And mesas looming far, far off, Like carved-out giants' heads." The illustration shows Jack running across white ground with his arms raised to the sky. In the background are a line of reddish-orange mesas which don't appear to be looming, nor do they resemble the giants' heads described in the text. Instead, they look small and insignificant and just don't convey the grandeur of these magnificent natural wonders. <br /><br />On the whole the pictures and text depict an America of the past, a nostalgic 1940s America where strangers wave to one another, walking the streets was a safe thing to do, and hopping a freight and hitchhiking were inexpensive ways to travel. In this rose-colored world, money is not important "You're broke - but well, so what? 'Cause money's only something, Jack, That gets you in a rut." If only life were so simple. <br /><br />I love to travel and I love road trips so I recommend this book for it's message of throwing your cares to the wind and seeing the world, even if in real life, that's not always the easiest thing to do. But, after all this is a picture book and kids need to know there's a beautiful world out there, waiting for them to explore it. This book conveys that message in a colorful way, with a great text perfect for reading aloud.