Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph

Starred review from June 15, 2015
Born on the Great Plains in the early 19th century, ginger-haired Jackrabbit McCabe has preternaturally long legs that make him a natural-born runner and a hometown hero: “By the time he turned eighteen, he’d beat every stagecoach, antelope, and locomotive in the territory.” But his fleet-footedness is no match for the newfangled telegraph, which decisively beats him in a challenge to deliver a message to a town 25 miles away. “Jackrabbit felt lower than a snake’s navel,” but he soon discovers an upside: the telegraph requires swift fingers to work the keys and swift legs to hand-deliver messages. Rozier makes a strikingly accomplished debut; her appropriately brisk prose has the perfect blend of folksy lilt and knowing wink. Espinosa (Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk) is just as successful: his crisply angular drawings, comic expressiveness, and cinematic framings bring to mind Chuck Jones’s classic “Dover Boys” cartoon. It’s a terrific tall tale about the costs and opportunities of technology, and it may assuage a few parents worried about its impact on their own offspring’s future employability. Ages 4–8.

July 1, 2015
This original tall tale is literally up to speed. Jackrabbit McCabe is the fastest man in Windy Flats, a mid-19th-century town. With legs that are preternaturally long, Jackrabbit races everything, human, animal, and mechanical-and wins every time. His neighbors rely on him to deliver messages with lightning speed. Then fate, in the guise of a new invention called the telegraph, rushes in. Everyone in Windy Flats scoffs at the idea that "any newfangled contraption" is faster than their man, and he eagerly takes up the challenge to "race" against it. For kids it won't be a foregone conclusion that the electrical device proves faster than any pair of human legs, yet for the first time, Jackrabbit must admit defeat. Happily, a logical ending is in store: our speedy hero models good sportsmanship by accepting loss gracefully, and he eagerly becomes the town's telegraph operator and newspaper deliverer. Naturally, he fulfills his duties remarkably quickly. Readers will find that the story, written in folksy terms and rhythms, clips along at a fast pace, too, and the fittingly retro illustrations are filled with action, energy, and good humor. Occasional changes in typeface and size add to the excitement of the telling. The backmatter includes a helpful historical author's note, a Morse code key, and a riddle in Morse code for readers to solve. Good, quick-moving fun. Kids may marvel that communication existed before the telephone and Internet. (Picture book. 4-7)

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September 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Jackrabbit McCabe's legs are so fast and so long that by the time he's 18 he's outraced everything in his path, including every "stagecoach, antelope, and locomotive in the territory." In his town of Windy Flats, Jackrabbit is the go-to man when one is in need of speed. When a newfangled invention called the telegraph arrives in town, it only makes sense for Jackrabbit to see if he can beat its first message to Sandy Bluff. At this point, the folksy story shifts from tall tale to one of progress and change as Jackrabbit inevitably loses the race. Unsure of his place anymore, Jackrabbit's down in the dumps, but his spirits are lifted at book's end when he settles in as the town's first telegraph operator. This sweet tale never fully reaches its potential. Neither Jackrabbit's prowess, the theme of progress, nor the history of the telegraph are developed to the point of capturing most young readers' attention. Ultimately, the sophistication of Espinosa's spot-on illustrations prove the brightest point. The author's note at book's end (many details of which one wishes had been integrated into the story) may prove the biggest hit with those interested in learning about the telegraph's history or in playing around with the Morse code key provided. VERDICT An attractive, though additional, title for collections seeking texts about the impact of new technology.-Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2015
Grades K-2 Jackrabbit McCabe earns his name by outrunning anyone and anything in his Great Plains town of Windy Flats. In the tall-tale tradition of John Henry, McCabe engages in a man-versus-machine competition by trying to deliver a message more quickly than it can be sent by telegraph. The telegram arrives before McCabe, but this original story still ends happily. McCabe's speedy fingers are adept with Morse code, leading to a perfect job as a telegraph operator. Using Photoshop and pencil, Espinosa creates colorful, dynamic images that burst from the page. An imaginative book design includes McCabe leaping across a two-page spread, or multiple smaller images showing rapid motion, communicating action and speed throughout. The illustrations have an old-fashioned feel that matches the time period of the story. An author's note providing more information about Samuel Morse as well as related Morse code activities invite readers to go beyond the story and explore the topic further.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)