Ready-to-go PLAY KIT: Jacks Around the World

Jacks is a game played all over the world. In Brazil, children may call it Cinco Marias and in Tibet, Abhadlo, but the rules are basically the same: Scatter a number of playing pieces onto the ground, toss an object into the air, and before that falls or bounces, scoop up the proper number of playing pieces. It sounds easy, but it takes practice and skill!

Mary D. Lankford has boundless curiosity about the way in which children celebrate and play. Following a trail of solid research and primary sources, she has assembled a lively collection of fourteen jacks-type games. Rules are clearly given so that readers can master versions from countries as diverse as Israel, Singapore, and Zimbabwe.

The author, with illustrator Karen Dugan, has created other zesty, well-researched books of games and customs, including the universally praised Hopscotch Around the World. All of their books open windows onto other cultures and invite young readers to learn, to appreciate – and to play.

Comes complete with a set of 10 jacks, 1 ball and a fabric bag to store them in.