• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and illustrator Darka Erdelji are back, with Jack, the King of Ashes, another riotously funny Jack tale. This time Jack spends all his time hove off in the coal box. Then one day he shakes off those ashes and sets out on an adventure that includes sneaky robbers, a "famous missing princess with reward attached", an always-surprising canine sidekick, a royal wedding, a lovelorn rooster-puppet, a conniving ship's captain, corpses, curses, kisses, coats and a whole lot more! Steeped in Newfoundland folk tradition, Jack, the King of Ashes shows CODCO alumnus Andy Jones at the top of his form. His quirky and delightful humour is unstoppable. Darka Erdelji's illustrations offer a wonderful, witty counterpoint to the story, enriching and embellishing it. Jones and Erdelji's last collaboration, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves won the 2012 BMO Winterset Award honouring excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador literature in any genre.

An actor, writer, storyteller, and director, Andy Jones was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland. He worked with CODCO, both in theatre and on television, and with Sheila's Brush Theatre Troupe. He has written, performed, and toured five one-man shows; has performed in theatrical productions across Canada and on numerous television shows; and has appeared in such films as Extraordinary Visitor, The Adventures of Faustus Bidgood, and Rare Birds.

His on-going series of Jack tales, illustrated by Darka Erdelji, has been widely praised: The Queen of Paradise's Garden was named to the IYL's White Ravens List; Jack and the Manger received the 2012 Bruneau Family Award for Children's/Young Adult Literature; Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves received the 2012 BMO Winterset Award and the 2014 Bruneau Family Award. Jack, the King of Ashes was nominated for the 2015 Ann Connor Brimer Award, the 2015 Governor-General's Literary Award for Illustrated Children's Book, and the 2016 Silver Birch Express Award. Jack and the Green Man has been shortlisted for the 2017/2018 Hackmatack Award.

With Philip Dinn, he is the author/adaptor, of Peg Bearskin, a folktale from Placentia Bay; the first edition of the book was shortlisted for the 2004/05 Hackmatack Award and named to the International Youth Library's prestigious White Ravens List. The book is being republished in a new edition, featuring all new illustrations and design, in February 2019.

Andy Jones' profile page

A native of Slovenia, Darka Erdelji received a Masters of Arts in Puppet Scenography from Prague's Akadmie Muzickych Umeni. She lived in St. John's for several years; during that time, she began collaborating with Andy Jones, first on their puppet play "The Queen of Paradise's Garden", and then on their acclaimed series of illustrated Jack tales. Darka currently lives in Maribor, Slovenia, and designs puppets for Lutkovno Gledalis—e Maribor, a state-of-the-art puppet theatre housed in a renovated medieval monastery. She has illustrated books in Canada and Slovenia.

Darka Erdelji's profile page

• Short-listed, Silver Birch Express
• Short-listed, Ann Connor Brimer Award
• Short-listed, Governor General's Award for Illustrated Text
• Short-listed, Newfoundland & Labrador Heritage and History Book Awards

Praise for Jones and Erdelji's previous collaborations:

"This irreverent, buoyant version of the nativity story, as experienced by the legendary, down-to-earth figure of Jack, has all the charm of a good tale told by a master storyteller.... Captivating and hilarious, with a transcendent story at its centre, Jack and the Manger is an outstanding children's book."
—2012 Bruneau Family Children's/Young Adult Literature Award Jury

"Jones's retelling effectively captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and the cadences of Newfoundland dialect. Illustrator Darka Erdelji's illustrations are a fine match. Enchanting, magical, and very skillful, they blend rich, evocative blues, greens, and reds, delicate line drawings in black and white, and rough, folk-art representations of the characters. All in all, a wonderful, rollicking tale."
—Quill & Quire (starred review) for The Queen of Paradise's Garden