This really is a 'cautionary tale' like the Hilaire Belloc stories of old, and as such, be aware that it doesn't have a happy ending! Jack steals things. From a baby he takes rattles, and as he gets older he graduates to taking his friends' belongings. No amount of saying 'Give them back, Jack' makes any difference, and on a visit to the zoo with his classmates, he comes to a sticky end when he tries to steal Mac the Python to take home as a pet. The very funny pictures soften the blow a bit, particularly the self-satisfied look on Mac's face when he has swallowed Jack whole, but it isn't a story for the faint-hearted. I thought it was great!