Jack and the Beanstalk

by Matt Faulkner (Illustrator)

When Jack climbs a magic beanstalk he encounters a cruel giant

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Folklore, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Matt is married to author and children’s librarian, Kris Remenar, and lives with their children in Michigan.

Reviews

[Sophia Triad · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know the classic story with the Jack, the beanstalk, the giant and the goose with the gold eggs. This version does not have a worth mentioned twist.
The illustrations though are interesting and modern. I loved the colour selection.

[Flora Rogers-Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and the Beanstalk is a traditional tale about thriving in the face of adversity. Although the story offers some moral quandaries in the form of theft, we cannot help but sympathise with Jack due to his and his mothers misfortune and admire his bravery and resilience as he aims to cease their suffering.

Jack makes the best of a difficult situation and seize an opportunity when it presents itself. He disobeys his mother by selling the cow for beans instead of money which he later plants in the garden. Through the night the beans germinated and grows into a beanstalk that far surpasses the house and into the clouds. He climbs the beanstalk and arrives at the giant's home, from which he steals the a golden egg laying hen to secure a prosperous future for his mother and himself.

This book captures the imagination of the children and can bring about some moral lessons for the children that can be debated and discussed within the class. Weighing up whether Jack was right to behave in the way he did and were his motivations just.

[Alycia Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and the Beanstalk is an English Folklore written by Richard Walker and Illustrated by Niamh Sharkey. This book is intended for readers ages four to seven. Jack and the Beanstalk is a well known tale of a poor farm boy and his mother who obtains magic beans. Jack is a curious kid that does not pass up the opportunity to venture up the beanstalk. This book is the tale of the series of events that follow his excursion. This specific book came along with a story time CD so you can listen as you follow along with the book. Having the CD enhanced the story by providing unique voices to each character. Along with the CD Niamh Sharkley, the books Illustrator did a beautiful job of providing bold colored pictures to draw the reader in. The author did a great job of describing in great detail the events that were taking place, so much so I could envision each and every scene with my eyes closed. I give this book a rating of five out of five because it really drew me in. I also read this book to my nephew who is four and he absolutely love it! He though it was very exciting the thought of magic beans and he often stopped me reading to point out the pictures and talk about what he saw. Overall this is a great book that I would keep on my classroom bookshelf.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack and the Beanstalk by Richard Walker is a classic, childlike tale. When Jack and his mother run out of food, Jack has to sell their cow in exchange for money. Instead, Jack comes across and funny little man that trades him magic beans for the cow. Out of anger, Jack's mother throws the magic beans outside and before they knew it, there was a beanstalk outside their window. The book is illustrated very well, but as for the writing part...it could be a bit confusing for children. I'd recommend teacher's reading this to their students only because there is some old-style grammar in the text which could frustrate beginning readers. I enjoyed this book very much because it has a lot of lessons to offer!
Fairy Tale book (suitable for any age 0-8)

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know the story and it really depends on the art work of how good the book will rate. A couple of the pictures it made the boy look like a girl, which my boys kept trying to tell me it was a girl. They also asked why was Jack stealing the money...good point...

[Cassidy Flood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the differing kinds of textures used to illustrate in this book.

[Karim Elmenshawy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he alive, or be he dead
I'll grind his bones to make my bread.

[Marjan Slaats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read aloud book with lovely illustrations!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is takes the traditional story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and gives it a twist. It is a fun version with nice illustrations.

[Christine Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facebook LIVE 2020. Classic retelling but perfect for modern audiences.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

the traditional story of jack and the beanstalk with a slight twist to the ending.

[Mary Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm having a hard time accessing the whole story.

[Haidé (Nox Lectio) · Rating 3 out of 5]

O João e a mãe têm muita fome, mas não têm dinheiro para comprar comida.

Têm apenas uma vaca e decidem vendê-la para arranjar o tão necessário dinheiro.

O João vai trocar a vaca por feijões mágicos. Mas será essa uma boa troca? Então e o dinheiro para comprar comida?

E a magia, será que é mesmo real?

Uma aventura deliciosa, tão bem conhecida de todos, mas que não passa nem pode passar ao esquecimento.

[Fatheha Begum · Rating 5 out of 5]

A retold version based on the traditional folk tale of 'Jack and the beanstalk'.this story is about a boy named Jack.One day he was sent out to the market by his mother to sell their cow,their only last possession and any sort of income.Jack by all means listened to the instructions of his mother and set off.On his travels he meets a funny little man.a man wearing big,baggy jacket with big,baggy pockets.In that pocket contained some precious 'magic beans'.The funny,strange man offered him to trade the cow for those beans.The man had lost instruction for the magic beans but definitely remembers something magical about them.Jack accepts the offer and carries them in his pocket back to his house.When mother finds out she is reasonably angry. after all he was supposed to get some money in return and not some beans.Well jack tried telling his mother that they weren't just any beans but magic beans.His mother in her angered moments threw them out the window.Jack mother was furious,she now had no cow,no money to live on.Jacks adventure begins as the tiny beans turn into large beanstalk where he meets the not so friendly GIANT.Jack and the Giant go through a lot of playful adventure and eventually Jack is saved from the giant and much richer too.

The illustrations used in this version are excellent, colourful and presented in earthy pastel colours with detailed background.the characters are full of life and humour.The author writes this this version in a very whimsical style.The author portrays Jack as a good -hearted boy who uses his quick thinking skills for good opportunities.

A good story as a whole and wonderfully written.This can be used for many occasions in the classroom,the story can be used for children to create their own versions,can be used in creating a play and making props.This book can also be used for many discussions amongst thee class based on the themes of opportunities,good listening,stealing, thief and being able to know what's right and wrong.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and the Beanstalk by Richard Walker was a great book. This book was retelling the story of the original Jack and the Beanstalk. The tale of a boy who climbed to the top of a magic beanstalk to escaped from a giant. I had not read this book before now but when I was little I read the original tale of Jack and the Beanstalk and loved it. The genre of the book Jack and the Beanstalk is folklore. This book is probably best for ages 6 and up.
I thought the illustrations could have been a little better but young readers could probably use their imaginations better than I can. There were two main characters. The number one main character was obviously the boy and then it was the Giant. The Giant wasn’t really scary looking, just “Giant.” There was no texture in the illustrations. I thought that if this book had texture it would really help the reader out. The language was good for young readers. I thought it was the right amount of words and use of words. I think this would have been a fun and interesting book for young readers to read.

[Cameron Formichella · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the cupboards being empty, Jack's mother reluctantly sends jack to town to sell their beloved cow, Daisy. Jack returns with 6 minuscule beans. Magic beans to be exact. Frustrated, Jack's mother tosses the beans outside. They both go to bed miserable and hungry. The magic beans gro sky high, and into the land of the clouds. An elderly woman offers to feed him, giant stomps, "FEE, FI, FO, FUM!", and a geese lays golden eggs.

Richard Walker's humorous version of this classic tale is a breathe of fresh air. Niamh Sharkey's illustrations are creative and unique, and a great replacement for the traditional images that accompany this story.

[Megan Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another fairy tale classic. But there is so many adaptions done of it and different version that I have become a little bored with the story and felt like it has been widely overdone. All of the stories are basically the same though. Jack sells his cow for magic beans and a stalk grows to the sky where a castle of giants live and Jack steals from them. I hope it teaches kids not to steal but it makes it look like stealing is beneficial. I would recommend this book for ages 4 and up. Hopefully generations to come find some sort of new found appreciation for Jack and the Beanstalk.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty traditional telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack really comes off as the villain in this one. The giant's wife wasn't in the other tellings I've read, but she is the one who shelters Jack from her husband in this. She's kind to Jack, but he keeps robbing the giants. Sure, the giant husband eats people, but the giant wife seems like a nice giant. Jack, on the other hand, is greedy and gets away with everything. He ends up rich and happy for his greed. Not exactly a great message to be learned from this.

[John Arden · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not a bad retelling, but unfortunately, the flaws in the story are still too obvious. I can sympathize with Jack on his first trip, (I'll accept stealing when you're desperate) But how exactly did Jack and his mother run through a giant sized bag of gold that quickly? So he returns, abuses the Giant wife's hospitality again, and steals the hen. His financial issues are solved, but he still goes up to steal again, because why not? Oh, and let's kill the giant who is trying to retrieve the magic harp that is calling out for his help, while we're at it.

[Natalie Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This version intrigues me because of its jewel-toned color palette and Tim Burton-esque (think Nightmare Before Christmas) illustrations - so different from the typical greens and browns and realistically drawn scenes in most Jack books. But the story is chopped up - Jack only visits the giant once, with the goose and the wife following him back down the beanstalk and the giant soaring into space. Eh.

[Hannah Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Primary (K-1)
Traditional Literature

I liked this book, I'm not sure it'll be my favorite book that I have ever read but it wasn't the worst. I have never actually read the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk before, and was surprised to find the circumstances under which he received the beans. I also never knew the entire premise of the book was that Jack and his mother stole to become rich. It's an interesting idea that this book/tale is intended for children.

[Brenda Cregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the age old tale, told again, and rather well.
However, something about the illustrations "cheapened" it.
Not in moral terms, but...they did not add to the story in a way which was appealing to me.
Perhaps, because the characters' faces seemed distorted, as if seen through a fish-eye lens.
Why would that bother me...?
No idea.

[Donna-Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can now listen to this story via the Barefoot Books Podcast.

[Madonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent version of the Jack and the Beanstalk story. I have a Jack marionette and beanstalk which was created during my art class. They can be used together to create a great reading experience for 1st-4th grade.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack and the Beanstalk (Paperback)
by Matt Faulkner

a beautiful rendition of the old story of jack and the beanstalk

[Nerissa Lindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great retell of the classic story.The strength of this book are the illustrations. This book would be great for ages 3 and up.

[Emily Pinnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. I liked how they added to a story that we all know so well. The illustrations were so cute and creative.

[Kristen-Marie Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A complete, engaging version of the fairy tale with engaging illustrations. I would wait until elementary school-age due to potentially scary thematic elements.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the illustrations. The story was ok but didn't flow very well.

[Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations and I think Phoenix basically likes it. We purchased it from barefoot books with the cd do I make sure she listens to it occasionally.