You’ll see animals quite differently

SMARTER than JACK® is a series of entertaining books about smart animals. They contain true stories, which are submitted by the public. The Royal New Zealand SPCA is closely involved, and to date the equivalent of over NZ$200,000 has been raised to help animals in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. 

On This Page
Who is Jack?
Where do the stories come from?
How are the stories chosen?
What kinds of animals are included?
What is the aim of collecting these stories?
What countries is SMARTER than JACK® in?
How much money do the animal welfare organisations receive?
How you can help?
Books that you can buy

Who is Jack?
Jack is no one particular person or animal. It is really an expression that refers to anybody that is just a bit ordinary and average. It could refer to someone that doesn’t think outside the square, or perhaps someone that never questions things. To be Smarter than Jack means that you’ve done something smart that shows you are a little different. So just one clever action by an animal could make your pet smarter than Jack!

Where do the stories come from?
They are submitted by the public and are welcome from anybody. Writing skills are not important, it’s the essence of the story that we are after as well as the knowledge that they are true.

How are the stories chosen?
The stories need to demonstrate that the animal has done something clever and out of the ordinary. The best ones usually relate to a specific event. Humour and detail of the smart actions or behaviour helps and we are always looking for a good mix of animal types and situations.

What kinds of animals are included?
It’s open to any kind of animal: including cats, dogs, dolphins, ducks, sheep, cows, pigs, horses, keas, thrushes, wombats, doves, magpies, spiders, kangaroos, bumblebees, budgies, hedgehogs, tortoises, frogs and goats.

What is the aim of collecting these stories?
We hope that by reading these stories people will feel inspired and will see animals a little differently. We want people to see animals as sentient beings with feelings, emotions and intelligence which we hope will result in animals being more respected and better treated.

What countries is SMARTER than JACK® in?
Smarter than Jack has been in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. In 2005 we will also be in the United Kingdom and the United States. However we are constantly exploring other opportunities. Please contact us if you'd like to know more.

How much money do the animal welfare organisations receive?
This varies marginally from country to country, but it is generally half of the retail price for books sold direct to their supporters and about half the profit from books sold through bookshops.

How you can help?
If you know of a smart animal then we’d love to know about it. Please write to us and tell us about it! You may want to also buy some of the books in the series. They make great gifts! Submit your stories online at www.smarterthanjack.com or post to PO Box 27003, Wellington.

Books that you can buy
The following books are available for purchase from the Royal New Zealand SPCA. If you order in this way $10 for each book you buy goes directly to help them. Each book costs $19.95 plus $4 packaging and post. See also the current special offer order form below.

Please download the PDF order form (37kb) and complete.You may fax it to 09 827 0784, post it to SPCA National Office, PO Box 15349, New Lynn, Auckland or phone us on 09 827 6094 for credit card orders.