Jack and the Manger

...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-á-Vis Graphics, St. Johns, and printed by The Lowe-Martin Group in Ottawa, Ontario.

“"The Christmas nativity story has been set in Canada before--notable examples are The Huron Carol and Kurelek's A Northern Nativity--but never has it been combined with a folktale character, set in outport Newfoundland, and served up with such cunning craft. Highly recommended."”

Winner 2012 Bruneau Family Award for Childrens/Young Adult Literature. Shortlisted for the 2012 Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage and History Award
"The story is narrated as though it were a Newfoundland folk tale, with all the particularities of local speech and lore. Illustrations, by Slovenian-born Darka Erdelji, are especially memorable; they bring a child's open-eyed sense of wonder to this quirky retelling." Tali Folkins, in Anglican Journal
"The usual Christmas story of Bethlehem, shepherds and stars has taken an unexpected turn. Such is only to be expected when it is being told by Andy Jones. Jones has performed the traditional Jack Tales for years, and recently debuted the stories in print with The Queen of Paradises Garden. There, as here, Jones words are compellingly illustrated by Darka Erdeljis colourful and expressionistic images." Joan Sullivan, in The Newfoundland Quarterly
Everyone needs joy and beauty at Christmas, and this latest Jack tale supplies both in abundance. Jean Graham, in The Northeast Avalon Times
"The Christmas nativity story has been set in Canada beforenotable examples are The Huron Carol and Kureleks A Northern Nativitybut never has it been combined with a folktale character, set in outport Newfoundland, and served up with such cunning craft." Alison Mews, in Canadian Review of Materials

Andy Jones is a performer, writer, and former member of the CODCO comedy troupe. He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, where he co-founded the Resource Centre for the Arts at the L.S.P.U. Hall, co-writing, acting in, and directing many original productions.Among his numerous stage and film credits, Jones starred in, co-wrote, and co-directed the 1986 feature film, The Adventures of Faustus Bidgood. He has written five critically acclaimed one-man comedy shows, as well as Albert, a one-act play for one man and a budgie bird; The Lady with the Lapdog(a radical theatrical adaptation of Anton Chekhov's short story); and the children's plays The Queen of Paradise's Garden, Jack Meets the Cat (co-written with the Sheila's Brush collective) and Jack-Five-Oh (co-written with Philip Dinn). Jones also writes children's books based on Newfoundland Folktales; Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves, won the Winterset award in 2013. A native of Slovenia, Darka Erdelji received a Masters of Arts in Puppet Scenography from Pragues Akadmie Muzickych Umeni. She lived in St. Johns with her Newfoundland-born partner and their children for several years. Darka currently designs puppets for Lutkovno Gledaliče Maribor, a state-of-the-art Slovenian puppet theatre housed in a renovated medieval monastery. In the summer of 2015, Darka's artwork for two of the Jack books was featured at Image. Word. Design: Exploring Picture Book Illustration in Atlantic Canada, an exhibition at the Acadia University Art Gallery in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Since returning to Slovenia, she has illustrated two highly praised books by acclaimed Slovenian children's writer Bina Stampe Zmavc.

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