The Tale of Jack

What to do with Jack? He delights in fighting and causing havoc. He won't listen to anyone, especially his parents. But one day he goes too far. He sneaks into a wizard's room to steal a look at a magic book. When the wizard catches him in the act, Jack refuses to surrender and fights even harder! Exasperated, the wizard places a curse on young Jack: if he thinks he's such a great warrior, let him be cursed to fight a dragon. And not just any dragon: the dragon Doom.

But Jack was such a reckless boy, a hopeless quest filled him with joy.

"Hooray!" he cried. "I'll leave tonight. The sooner there, the sooner to fight!"

Off Jack goes on his quest. He soon realises that being on his own in the Wild isn't quite the same as causing mayhem in a peaceful village. But he rediscovers his fortitude when he is joined by Tark, a talking raven on a quest of his own. They strike a pact, and together they climb into the mountains in search of glory and gold.

Mountain paths are fraught with peril, the likes of which Jack has never encountered: goblins, ghosts, and, of course, the dragon. Even if the weather doesn't kill him, his ignorance might. The Raven, the Goblin, and even the Dragon, all have tales that could help Jack survive - if he'll listen. But in these mountains, nothing is as it seems. And though Jack doesn't succeed in quite the way he thought he would, he succeeds in doing his best. And sometimes that's enough, when put to test.

The Tale of Jack, told in a mixture of rhyme and prose, makes even the lengthiest quest fly by. A timeless tale, for readers of all ages everywhere.