The House that Zack Built

The story kicks off with young Zack building a house with blocks--until a fly comes along. "This is the cat / that stalked the fly..." This version drops the cumulative repetition of the original rhyme, but the spirited rhythm holds true. Bold digital art in warm colors depicts a friendly farm on which Zack, oblivious to the mayhem, continues to build his creation.

Playing on the traditional nursery rhyme, this farm-set version kicks off with young Zack (last seen in Hickory Dickory Dog, rev. 9/14) building a house with blocks until a fly comes along and upsets the whole apple-cart. "This is the cat / that stalked the fly / that BUZZED on by, / over the house that Zack built." In pursuit, the cat knocks over the cream, which spills on the dog, who scatters the lambs, leaving the farm in complete disarray. Through it all, the fly's playful flight-line carries viewers on a wild path from page to page. This version drops the cumulative repetition of the original rhyme, but the spirited rhythm holds true throughout. Bold digital art in warm colors depicts a friendly farm on which Zack, oblivious to the mayhem, continues to build his creation. When he finally looks up from his miraculously undisturbed blocks and sees the state of the farm, he sets about putting things in order and sending that pesky fly on its way. This gives the cat, the dog, and viewers a final chance to stop and admire the house that Zack built -- a miniature version of the farm's red barn. julie roach