What do you think?
Rate this book
Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph
The fastest man in the West meets his match in this deliciously clever original tall tale. With his extra-long legs, Jackrabbit McCabe can outrun anything on the American horses, trains, and even twisters. So of course, everyone in the town of Windy Flats always counts on his speed when a message has to get out fast. Then something new comes to the telegraph, which can send Morse code messages with the speed of electricity. At first, no one believes the newfangled contraption can deliver a message quicker than Jackrabbit. . . . But in a race between man and machine, who will be left in the dust? An author's note includes information about the invention of the telegraph, a Morse code key, and a riddle written in Morse code for kids to transcribe."A strikingly accomplished debut.... A terrific tall tale about the costs and opportunities of technology." —Publishers Weekly, Starred"Good, quick-moving fun. Kids may marvel that communication existed before the telephone and Internet." —Kirkus Reviews
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2015
4 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
March 22, 2022
Featured in a grandma reads session.
This was a fun read for us! We have some very tall boys in our group, who come from very tall fathers and grandfathers. . . .long-legged and runners all. Jackrabbit McCabe would have fit right in with our family! From his earliest days he ran, and ran, and got taller and taller, until he ran races and won them handily. His future was secure, and victories assured.
Until the telegraph came along - unstoppable, though, Jackrabbit is sure he can beat electricity, and the race is set, with the whole town ready to witness and observe. Imagine the dismay, when that electric spark wins hands down.
After a short mope, the clever mayor saves our Hero. Someone has to run the telegraph and learn its special language. . . morse code. . . my heart jumped a mile when we read that, and found in the back of the book an informative "Author's Note", complete with a Morse Code Key, and a message for those with the tenacity to decode it. Well, this warmed all the cockles of my old self, as my father, their great-grandfather, held the world record for morse code Ham Radio contests for many years. He was an avid Ham Radio Amateur from his teens to his last day on this earth, and it was fun to tell my crew stories about his adventures, and skills and friends around the world. In fact, his key is in the living room and often it is retrieved and worked, like a type of worry gadget. I just can't let it go, it's an old friend.
I wandered there . . . .oh well. A great read, fun book, and because of the decoding opportunity, this was voted a 5 star book!
This was a fun read for us! We have some very tall boys in our group, who come from very tall fathers and grandfathers. . . .long-legged and runners all. Jackrabbit McCabe would have fit right in with our family! From his earliest days he ran, and ran, and got taller and taller, until he ran races and won them handily. His future was secure, and victories assured.
Until the telegraph came along - unstoppable, though, Jackrabbit is sure he can beat electricity, and the race is set, with the whole town ready to witness and observe. Imagine the dismay, when that electric spark wins hands down.
After a short mope, the clever mayor saves our Hero. Someone has to run the telegraph and learn its special language. . . morse code. . . my heart jumped a mile when we read that, and found in the back of the book an informative "Author's Note", complete with a Morse Code Key, and a message for those with the tenacity to decode it. Well, this warmed all the cockles of my old self, as my father, their great-grandfather, held the world record for morse code Ham Radio contests for many years. He was an avid Ham Radio Amateur from his teens to his last day on this earth, and it was fun to tell my crew stories about his adventures, and skills and friends around the world. In fact, his key is in the living room and often it is retrieved and worked, like a type of worry gadget. I just can't let it go, it's an old friend.
I wandered there . . . .oh well. A great read, fun book, and because of the decoding opportunity, this was voted a 5 star book!
February 27, 2015
Illustrator to watch out for. I should make a shelf for that.
June 21, 2018
Delightful book, which almost seems to be a tall tale at times, to explain the rapid progress of communication from pony express to telegraph to newspaper to railroads, etc. also introduces Morse Code. 👍🏼👍🏼
January 11, 2019
The illustrations add so much to this book. It was a fun one to share with my youngest.
March 30, 2016
Jackrabbit McCabe is a hero all right. The joyful speedster fetches ol’ Doc Dobbins to patch up the overachievers in the Double Dare Ya Club, and rounds up every child and chick when twisters come barreling through Windy Flats. He’s a sure bet at the horse races, and he leaves locomotives in the dust.
But everything changes one day when the telegraph company shows up and the mayor proposes a race. In front of the good folks of Windy Flats and many more from miles around, in front of the brass band and his cheering family and friends, Jackrabbit loses—to a machine.
Any child who’s gone from hero to zero in short order, perhaps through the birth of an oh-so-cute sibling or the loss of a friend, should be able to empathize with poor Jackrabbit. Dethroned by a newfangled contraption and feeling lower than snake’s navel, our has-been hero takes the slow stagecoach home. Is there even a place for him in Windy Flats any more?
Here the story takes a most encouraging turn, as the mayor suggests that the owner of the speediest legs ever might just have speedy fingers as well—and with Jackrabbit’s help, Windy Flats is soon linked to the whole country by telegraph.
This is not only a fresh approach to teaching history to young children, it’s a lesson in bouncing back. Jackrabbit never will outrun electricity, but he uses his gift of speed to operate the telegraph for the benefit of the people of Windy Flats. Perhaps you know a child in a hero-to-zero situation who would take courage from this funny, engaging tale of a young man who bounces back.
But everything changes one day when the telegraph company shows up and the mayor proposes a race. In front of the good folks of Windy Flats and many more from miles around, in front of the brass band and his cheering family and friends, Jackrabbit loses—to a machine.
Any child who’s gone from hero to zero in short order, perhaps through the birth of an oh-so-cute sibling or the loss of a friend, should be able to empathize with poor Jackrabbit. Dethroned by a newfangled contraption and feeling lower than snake’s navel, our has-been hero takes the slow stagecoach home. Is there even a place for him in Windy Flats any more?
Here the story takes a most encouraging turn, as the mayor suggests that the owner of the speediest legs ever might just have speedy fingers as well—and with Jackrabbit’s help, Windy Flats is soon linked to the whole country by telegraph.
This is not only a fresh approach to teaching history to young children, it’s a lesson in bouncing back. Jackrabbit never will outrun electricity, but he uses his gift of speed to operate the telegraph for the benefit of the people of Windy Flats. Perhaps you know a child in a hero-to-zero situation who would take courage from this funny, engaging tale of a young man who bounces back.
September 27, 2015
This is a good book to use with kids to illustrate that even if you were the very best at something and you may have been replaced that it's a good way to adapt by being the best at the new thing. Jackrabbit is the fastest kid in the world and he delivered the mail the fastest but when the telegraph arrived he found he was replaced by something faster. When he lost the race between the telegraph and himself he was heartbroken but after the mayor saw that he asked him to be the new operator in their city. He became the best at that next and learned, instead of being defeated he rose up and became the best at that.
It's a great way to teach kids to never be down on yourself but to raise up and conquer your new feat. It's great to use with kids who may be at a new school or a year older that they were the best at something last year and this year they may not be but to learn to make the new thing their best thing.
It's a great way to teach kids to never be down on yourself but to raise up and conquer your new feat. It's great to use with kids who may be at a new school or a year older that they were the best at something last year and this year they may not be but to learn to make the new thing their best thing.
February 24, 2016
Read this book with my older kids. They enjoyed it. We then talked about Morse code and how it was used. I printed off the Morse Code Key and they had to write their spelling words using Morse code. They enjoyed this so much that they asked if that can be one of their spelling homework assignments.
April 29, 2016
Loved this historical narrative turned folktale about McCabe who starts as a messenger and . . . spoiler alert . . . ends up working for the telegraph company. Colorful illustrations stretch reality like this tale stretches the truth. Fun, educational, and sweet.
April 18, 2024
I thought this was going to be a true story about some old timey dude who raced a telegraph, but I guess they invented this long-legged speedster character to make things fun for kids. Rozier uses the tall tale of Jackrabbit McCabe very effectively, to teach kids about the societal shift that took place when we moved from relying on through physical messengers to electric ones.
I really like Jackrabbit's character design, and I'm glad his story doesn't end sadly even though he loses the race. When Jackrabbit McCabe (or Jack Mack, as I like to call him) is defeated by the telegraph the Mayor reasons (speciously) that the fastest runner in the town would probably ALSO have the speediest fingers for the telegraph. So it all works out in the end!
I really like Jackrabbit's character design, and I'm glad his story doesn't end sadly even though he loses the race. When Jackrabbit McCabe (or Jack Mack, as I like to call him) is defeated by the telegraph the Mayor reasons (speciously) that the fastest runner in the town would probably ALSO have the speediest fingers for the telegraph. So it all works out in the end!
September 19, 2018
I thought that this tall tale was quite amusing. The illustrations were wonderful. One page had Jackrabbit running from one page to the next. The moral of this story is that technology is becoming faster and more efficient, but the old techniques are still important too. Jackrabbit is a messenger, but there is a way to get mail through technology. This tall tale will put you on the edge of your seat as you go through the race of Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph.
February 18, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, not because it was only enjoyable but because it was historical and provided a great lesson for kids. At the end Jackrabbit didn't meet his goal but because of it he was able to start a new journey. Something that kids need to learn now more than ever!
May 30, 2017
A good book to use to talk about inventions and tall tales.
August 30, 2017
I just love a good tall tale.
February 13, 2018
Super cool picture book with a TRUE story that will be super fun to talk about!
November 5, 2018
Connections: tall tales, Morse code, telegrams
January 22, 2019
This book would be a great read aloud. Wonderful for a lesson on tall tales and primary sources.
March 15, 2019
A cute tall-tale paired with interesting history (author's note).
September 20, 2019
Cute tall tale about a speedy runner. Lots of similes and some back information about the telegraph and Morse code. Would be good to teach about changes in technology over time.
August 10, 2020
Fun book. Includes Morse Code and it’s story in back.
January 25, 2021
Fun tall tale story and nice info about the telegraph.
June 21, 2023
A cute mix of a tall tale and real history. The illustrations are great! :-)
Read
August 10, 2023Loved the pictures in this one. Fun tall tale sort of book that also introduces kids to telegraphs.
July 12, 2025
A tall tale that I haven't heard before- love the expressions and story telling. This was very well done.
April 30, 2019
It was a pretty great book and taught about telegraphs. It also taught the reader how to read Morse code in the end of the book. The book was a fun read and really captured my imagination. It was about someone with really longs legs and he was very fast. Then he raced a telegraph. It was pretty cool.
May 9, 2016
In this whopper of a tall tale, the reader is transported to the American Midwest of the 1850’s. Jackrabbit McCabe was born with the fastest, longest legs anyone had ever seen and boy does he use them well. He rescues stray kids and animals during storms, fetches the doctor in emergencies and outraces horses and trains. He is the fastest thing around that is until the telegraph comes to town. This new machine promises to send and deliver messages faster than ever before. Jack attempts to race the telegraph and loses, but his grief doesn’t last long when they ask him to be town’s telegraph operator as it turns out his fingers fly just as fast as his feet.
New Tall Tale stories don’t come a long every day, so when one shows up as well done as this one it’s an exciting day at the library for this reviewer. The story has excitement, outrageously impossible human feats of daring, and an incredibly human touch with Jack losing the race and despairing over his worth. Also quite clever is that the historical time period in which the story takes place is very much an accurate portrayal in the pencil illustrations and the detail in things like the trains and clothing. Extras include an author’s note about Samuel Morse and his invention, the telegraph. It includes a Morse Code Key and a riddle to translate. This would be a great story to begin a history lesson with or fun in a stroytime for school age children.
I would highly recommend this book for purchase to any school or public library.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
New Tall Tale stories don’t come a long every day, so when one shows up as well done as this one it’s an exciting day at the library for this reviewer. The story has excitement, outrageously impossible human feats of daring, and an incredibly human touch with Jack losing the race and despairing over his worth. Also quite clever is that the historical time period in which the story takes place is very much an accurate portrayal in the pencil illustrations and the detail in things like the trains and clothing. Extras include an author’s note about Samuel Morse and his invention, the telegraph. It includes a Morse Code Key and a riddle to translate. This would be a great story to begin a history lesson with or fun in a stroytime for school age children.
I would highly recommend this book for purchase to any school or public library.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
October 26, 2016
Summary:
Jackrabbit McCabe grew extra-long legs all of his life. By the time he was 18 he could outrun trains, horses, and anything else that you could think of. Jackrabbit would run all the important messages across town. Then one day the city of Windy Flats got an electric telegraph. Mayor Babble told the judge that Jackrabbit would still be faster than the telegraph, so they set up a 25-mile race to deliver a message to the East side of town. The mayor wrote the same message down on two pieces of paper, one for Jackrabbit to deliver and one for the telegraph operator to send. 9 and ½ minutes later Jackrabbit arrived on the other side of town, but the message was already received by the operator. He was very disappointed that he lost in the race, but Mayor Babble had other plans. Mayor Babble told Jackrabbit as soon as he got back to Windy Flats that he would be the new telegraph operator in town.
Activity:
Teach a lesson on the telegraph about how and why it was used. They you could have students decode a message wrote in Morse Code. They could also try and write their name in Morse Code for fun too. As an extra game you could have them play a game of telephone (where one students whispers a phrase/sentence into the next student’s ear and they keep doing that until the whole class heard it and then the last person says it out loud and you see how different it is from the original sentence) to understand why people didn’t want to only rely on messages sent by person to person.
Citation:
Rozier, L. M., & Espinosa, L. (2015). Jackrabbit McCabe & the Electric Telegraph. New York, NY: Schwartz and Wade Books.
Jackrabbit McCabe grew extra-long legs all of his life. By the time he was 18 he could outrun trains, horses, and anything else that you could think of. Jackrabbit would run all the important messages across town. Then one day the city of Windy Flats got an electric telegraph. Mayor Babble told the judge that Jackrabbit would still be faster than the telegraph, so they set up a 25-mile race to deliver a message to the East side of town. The mayor wrote the same message down on two pieces of paper, one for Jackrabbit to deliver and one for the telegraph operator to send. 9 and ½ minutes later Jackrabbit arrived on the other side of town, but the message was already received by the operator. He was very disappointed that he lost in the race, but Mayor Babble had other plans. Mayor Babble told Jackrabbit as soon as he got back to Windy Flats that he would be the new telegraph operator in town.
Activity:
Teach a lesson on the telegraph about how and why it was used. They you could have students decode a message wrote in Morse Code. They could also try and write their name in Morse Code for fun too. As an extra game you could have them play a game of telephone (where one students whispers a phrase/sentence into the next student’s ear and they keep doing that until the whole class heard it and then the last person says it out loud and you see how different it is from the original sentence) to understand why people didn’t want to only rely on messages sent by person to person.
Citation:
Rozier, L. M., & Espinosa, L. (2015). Jackrabbit McCabe & the Electric Telegraph. New York, NY: Schwartz and Wade Books.
February 19, 2017
My kindergartner enjoyed this tall tale. It had humor and the drama of a race, plus colorful pictures. I appreciated that it taught her about the telegraph and Morse code.
September 6, 2015
Although it will be a forgone conclusion for modern readers who will realize right away that even the fleetest of humans cannot outrace a telegram sent over telegraph wires, this picture book is still plenty of fun and brings to mind other protagonists of tall tales such as Paul Bunyan and John Henry. The story centers around Jackrabbit McCabe who grew up quickly and ran swiftly. He was able to outrun trains and even the horses on which fairgoers placed bets. But despite his best efforts and those long, long legs of his, Jackrabbit arrives at his destination much later than the message sent over the wires does. Things work out okay for him in the end as he also has fast fingers and is hired to work in the telegraph office while also delivering the morning newspaper. As is often the case with tall tales, the book is filled with humor, amplified by the handsome illustrations created in pencil and with Adobe Photoshop. It's hard to resist Jackrabbit's can-do attitude and the images of his legs stretched out so far that he almost seems to fly across the pages. The back matter includes additional information about the Morse Code, and the wonderful endpapers feature a landscape empty of almost anything other than telegraph poles.
August 12, 2016
I reviewed this book as it is a nominee in the Picture Book category for the 2016-2017 Maryland Black Eyed Susan Award. I DID NOT receive a copy of this book in advance.
This is a truly great story, although I am not sure the information contained would translate well to children younger than 1st grade. The pictures are very vivid, and the story itself is informative.
I would recommend this book for the following:
1. Older grades - history on telegraph, telephone, inventions, and etc.
2. Younger Grades - promotes understanding of what happens when you don't succeed, just because you are no longer the best, does not mean that you aren't great or amazing at what you do or can accomplish (A bit hard to convey in the days of Michael Phelps, I suppose)
3. Any grades as part of a larger unit on folktales. I would use this one in conjunction with a tale about John Henry.
The end of the book contains a brief history of the invention of the Morse code, as well as a secret message for you to decode using the Morse code as a key. This could also be used in comparison to a lesson on the creation of Braille (maybe? I think that would need to be flushed out better, but it just sprang into my brain while typing this).
This is a truly great story, although I am not sure the information contained would translate well to children younger than 1st grade. The pictures are very vivid, and the story itself is informative.
I would recommend this book for the following:
1. Older grades - history on telegraph, telephone, inventions, and etc.
2. Younger Grades - promotes understanding of what happens when you don't succeed, just because you are no longer the best, does not mean that you aren't great or amazing at what you do or can accomplish (A bit hard to convey in the days of Michael Phelps, I suppose)
3. Any grades as part of a larger unit on folktales. I would use this one in conjunction with a tale about John Henry.
The end of the book contains a brief history of the invention of the Morse code, as well as a secret message for you to decode using the Morse code as a key. This could also be used in comparison to a lesson on the creation of Braille (maybe? I think that would need to be flushed out better, but it just sprang into my brain while typing this).
January 14, 2016
Jackrabbit McCabe was the fastest man in Windy Flats. He could outrun every horse in a horserace, a locomotive, and even a tornado. Whenever there was an important message to be sent across town or to a nearby town, Jackrabbit McCabe was the man for the job. Then one day, the telegraph company came to Windy Flats. They hung electrical wires across the land and a telegraph operator to send and receive Morse code. No one believed the telegraph could be faster than Jackrabbit McCabe so a race was organized to send a message to Sandy Bluff. Jackrabbit McCabe shot off the mark and left the town in a cloud of dust, carrying his message to the mayor of Sandy Bluff. But when he got there, he found the same message already tacked to the door. The telegraph had beat him to it. Jackrabbit McCabe was so heartbroken he took the slowest coach home to Windy Flats. But when he arrived, the mayor asked him to be the new telegraph operator. He figured if Jackrabbit McCabe’s legs were fast, his fingers would be fast too. So Jackrabbit studied the Morse Code and became the town’s fastest telegraph operator!
http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...
http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews