Lazy Jack

A picture book retelling of the well-known folktale about the silly young man who goes to work each day and, each evening, fails to bring home his rewards since he always takes his mother's instructions on how to how to carry them literally. Thus, he is told that he should carry money in his pocket. But next day he is paid in kind with a jug of milk. When he tries to carry that home in his pocket, the results are predictably unfortunate. Retellings of this tale are many and various. I first heard it at Infant school in a version called 'Epominandos' which featured a black hero. In some versions of the story the young man makes a rich man's daughter laugh for the first time ever and is rewarded with a bag of gold and, sometimes, the daughter's hand in marriage. In this new version, the young man is promised work for life by his employers because he makes them laugh so much. Why not try it if you are threatened with downsizing in your job!