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Graphic Spin
Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel
When Jack sells his family's cow for magic beans, his mother is anything but pleased. Soon, however, the beans sprout into a towering beanstalk. It leads to a castle filled with gold and other treasures. Jack's family will be rich, if he can sneak past the man-eating giant!
40 pages, Library Binding
First published August 1, 2008
About the author
Blake Hoena
359 books27 followersBlake A. Hoena grew up in central Wisconsin, where, in his youth, he wrote stories about robots conquering the Moon and trolls lumbering around in the woods behind his parents house, and the fact that the trolls were hunting for little boys had nothing to do with Blake’s pesky brothers. Later, he moved to Minnesota to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Since graduating, Blake has written more than thirty books for children, including retellings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Perseus and Medusa myth. Most recently, he’s working on a series of graphic novels about two space alien brothers, Eek and Ack, who are determined to conquer our big blue home.
--from the author's website
Since graduating, Blake has written more than thirty books for children, including retellings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Perseus and Medusa myth. Most recently, he’s working on a series of graphic novels about two space alien brothers, Eek and Ack, who are determined to conquer our big blue home.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 8, 2024
As a retelling of the English folktale Jack and the Beanstalk, Blake Hoena's presented text and Ricardo Tércio's accompanying comic book style artwork provide with Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel theme and contents wise a pretty well close to the original textual and visual treatment (actually, mostly gleaned from Benjamin Tabard's 1804 version of Jack and the Beanstalk where Jack steals his family treasure back from the Giant who had previously killed his father and thrust the family into poverty and not Joseph Jacobs' 1890 version where Jack is simply a trickster figure who absconds with the Giant's treasure and kills him just because he can and wants to, and that yes, the author's note Hoena supplies in Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel regarding the different incarnations of Jack and the Beanstalk and his explanations as to why he decided to use Tabard's and not Jacobs' version is definitely interesting and nicely, wonderfully enlightening).
But just to say that although part of me massively appreciates that Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel presents itself as very close to Benjamin Tabard's Jack and the Beanstalk tale, I also at the same time find it rather frustrating and disconcerting that the one aspect of all of the Jack and the Beanstalk stories I have always found hugely problematic and lacking, that the question of why the Giant's wife hides and protects Jack when other young boys have been left to their grisly fate of becoming her husband's meal is not answered in Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel any more than it is in the original, in the earlier Jack and the Beanstalk tales (and that this has certainly reduced reading pleasure for me regarding Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel, not majorly, not all encompassingly, but certainly enough for me to repeatedly and with much annoyance notice, as indeed, I do kind of want to know why Jack gets hidden by Mrs. Giant but other young boys have not been).
And combined with the fact that while Ricardo Tércio's artwork for Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel is colourful and full of action, is full of movement, sorry, but I personally do aesthetically find many of his illustrations for Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel ridiculously and unnecessarily ugly (with in particular the Giant looking more like Frankenstein's Monster than a giant from English folklore), and that as such, I just do not particularly enjoy how Blake Hoena's text and Ricardo Tércio's images work together in Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel, and that therefore, my star rating can and will only be two stars, and that I would also not recommend Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel without some rather strong personal reservations on my part.
But just to say that although part of me massively appreciates that Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel presents itself as very close to Benjamin Tabard's Jack and the Beanstalk tale, I also at the same time find it rather frustrating and disconcerting that the one aspect of all of the Jack and the Beanstalk stories I have always found hugely problematic and lacking, that the question of why the Giant's wife hides and protects Jack when other young boys have been left to their grisly fate of becoming her husband's meal is not answered in Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel any more than it is in the original, in the earlier Jack and the Beanstalk tales (and that this has certainly reduced reading pleasure for me regarding Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel, not majorly, not all encompassingly, but certainly enough for me to repeatedly and with much annoyance notice, as indeed, I do kind of want to know why Jack gets hidden by Mrs. Giant but other young boys have not been).
And combined with the fact that while Ricardo Tércio's artwork for Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel is colourful and full of action, is full of movement, sorry, but I personally do aesthetically find many of his illustrations for Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel ridiculously and unnecessarily ugly (with in particular the Giant looking more like Frankenstein's Monster than a giant from English folklore), and that as such, I just do not particularly enjoy how Blake Hoena's text and Ricardo Tércio's images work together in Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel, and that therefore, my star rating can and will only be two stars, and that I would also not recommend Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel without some rather strong personal reservations on my part.
March 23, 2016
I loved this graphic novel for kids! The pictures were amazing and the story was very classic:) As a mom, I really loved all the pages in the back with super simple word definitions, discussion questions, and more. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my kids!
March 9, 2017
Folktale
In this graphic novel version of the familiar tale "Jack and the Beanstalk," Jack is traveling to the market to sell the family cow when he meets a mysterious old man who gives him five magic beans in exchange for the cow. Returning home with excitement, Jack is shocked when his mother is not nearly as thrilled by the deal as he is and throws the beans out the door. Running out the door the next morning, Jack collides with a massive beanstalk that has sprouted overnight and reaches high into the sky. Climbing it in search of food, he encounters the giant responsible for his father's demise and his family's poverty. Will his desire for justice for his father prove to be his undoing?
While the witty commentary of the female characters, Jack's mother and the giant's wife, provide interest and humor, the story has some inconsistencies and gaps. For example, the book does not attempt to explain why the giant's wife tries to save Jack from being eaten right after she tells Jack about the little boy that the giant ate the previous night. Why does she feel sympathy towards Jack when she allowed another boy to meet the same fate? The book also skims over one of Jack's acts of thievery, showing only his return to his mother with the purloined hen, not how he stole her from the giant. The illustrations are engaging and focus on moments of action, but the illustrator frequently relies on boxes containing narration, which break up the flow of the story, and he chooses to have Jack speak aloud to himself when thought bubbles might have been more natural. In addition, in a scene in which Jack is hiding from the giant in a teapot, given the amount of Jack's head that is showing in the illustration, it seems highly unlikely that the giant would have missed seeing him. At the end of the novel, the author explains the story's origins in the oral tradition and describes variants of the tale. He identifies the source that his version most closely resembles but explains that he changed some details. This explanation as well as the discussion questions and writing prompts that follow might make this graphic novel a possible reading for a unit on fairy tales in an elementary classroom, especially since the graphic novel format would add variety for students. However, the story's theme of "an eye for an eye," displayed through Jack's pilfering of the giant's possessions that previously belonged to Jack's father as well as through the giant's eventual fate, seems like a somewhat disturbing lesson for a young audience. Target Audience: Ages 7-10
In this graphic novel version of the familiar tale "Jack and the Beanstalk," Jack is traveling to the market to sell the family cow when he meets a mysterious old man who gives him five magic beans in exchange for the cow. Returning home with excitement, Jack is shocked when his mother is not nearly as thrilled by the deal as he is and throws the beans out the door. Running out the door the next morning, Jack collides with a massive beanstalk that has sprouted overnight and reaches high into the sky. Climbing it in search of food, he encounters the giant responsible for his father's demise and his family's poverty. Will his desire for justice for his father prove to be his undoing?
While the witty commentary of the female characters, Jack's mother and the giant's wife, provide interest and humor, the story has some inconsistencies and gaps. For example, the book does not attempt to explain why the giant's wife tries to save Jack from being eaten right after she tells Jack about the little boy that the giant ate the previous night. Why does she feel sympathy towards Jack when she allowed another boy to meet the same fate? The book also skims over one of Jack's acts of thievery, showing only his return to his mother with the purloined hen, not how he stole her from the giant. The illustrations are engaging and focus on moments of action, but the illustrator frequently relies on boxes containing narration, which break up the flow of the story, and he chooses to have Jack speak aloud to himself when thought bubbles might have been more natural. In addition, in a scene in which Jack is hiding from the giant in a teapot, given the amount of Jack's head that is showing in the illustration, it seems highly unlikely that the giant would have missed seeing him. At the end of the novel, the author explains the story's origins in the oral tradition and describes variants of the tale. He identifies the source that his version most closely resembles but explains that he changed some details. This explanation as well as the discussion questions and writing prompts that follow might make this graphic novel a possible reading for a unit on fairy tales in an elementary classroom, especially since the graphic novel format would add variety for students. However, the story's theme of "an eye for an eye," displayed through Jack's pilfering of the giant's possessions that previously belonged to Jack's father as well as through the giant's eventual fate, seems like a somewhat disturbing lesson for a young audience. Target Audience: Ages 7-10
February 22, 2009
"Be he alive or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread!" This retelling appealed to my comic book loving kid and was faithful enough to the classic version to please his literature loving mom.
The illustrations could have been better, but the history of the story, writing prompts and discussion questions are worth the cost of the book. I'm used to seeing comprehension questions touted as discussion questions in books for readers at this level. These actually fired up a dialogue between my son and myself.
The illustrations could have been better, but the history of the story, writing prompts and discussion questions are worth the cost of the book. I'm used to seeing comprehension questions touted as discussion questions in books for readers at this level. These actually fired up a dialogue between my son and myself.
July 2, 2010
I just discovered this great little gem. I borrowed if from the library after reading about it. It is one that I would like to own. My kids (ages 5 & 7) giggled at the expressive Jack and his crazy hair. They loved the dialogue. After we finished reading they immediately turned back to re-read their favorite funny parts and then acted it out themselves (twice). I will certainly be checking out the rest of this "Graphic Spin" series. For a great discussion about graphic novels check out Shannon Hale's blog.
June 13, 2012
In this modern spin on a classic tale, Jack sells his mother’s cow for five magic beans, which grow into a sky-high bean stalk overnight. When Jack climbs to the top of the bean stalk he finds that a mean giant and his kind wife live there. Jack realizes that the giant killed his father and is determined to make the giant pay. Jack takes only what the giant stole from his family and soon the giant meets the same fate Jack’s father did.
I love the pictures from this graphic novel and how in the end, good prevails over evil.
I love the pictures from this graphic novel and how in the end, good prevails over evil.
Read
December 8, 2012This graphic novel tells the traditional, Disney-esque story of Jack and the Beanstalk. The fact that it is a graphic novel really doesn't add anything to the story. The plot is the same and there is still text at the bottom of each picture. The only real difference is that speech bubbles are used, and there are multiple scenes on some pages. This isn't a great read, but perhaps could be used to students as a non-example of how the format of a book can enhance the story (or not, in this case).
December 14, 2010
Great retelling and cool artwork. It made the list of top 20 books preferred by struggling 4th and 5th grade readers. Renaissance Learning puts out a "What Kids Are Reading" study each year where -- oddly enough -- kids share the titles of the books they most enjoy reading. This book made the 2011 list. And for good reason.
If you've got a kids who think they don't like reading -- give them this book and prove them wrong.
If you've got a kids who think they don't like reading -- give them this book and prove them wrong.
April 15, 2013
My class of first graders read this last week during their fairy tales unit. I liked that my mentor teacher used this because it introduced a new kind of genre to them. Most of them had never seen a graphic novel before, and the story was also different from the original fairy tale. This then lead them to looking at the similarities and differences between the two stories, as well as the differences and similarities between the two kinds of novels.
April 22, 2012
Another classic fairy tale redone as a graphic novel/comic book. This one is actually more like the original book than I remember. I'd recommend it for grades 4 and 5 because their may be some words that younger grades may not know.
October 22, 2009
Another good fairy-tale-turned-graphic-novel. Good illustrations, but again the dialogue could use some work.
September 25, 2010
I liked this retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, but I felt bad for Milky White, the cow.
August 28, 2011
i love this book and a graphic novel is great too. i love that is is said to be extremely close to one of the original stories.
October 21, 2011
This is a cool series--graphic novelizations of fairy tales. It cuts out on the wordiness that can sometimes accompany a traditional fairy tale. The kids and I both enjoyed this story.
April 12, 2012
A graphic novel retelling of the classic fairy tale.
February 27, 2013
Cool artwork.
October 7, 2014
Not as fun as I thought it would be, but I think the kids will enjoy it. I liked the information at the end of the book.
January 3, 2015
A good introduction to graphic novels and comics, but the family living happily ever after solely because of their riches didn't sit well with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2015
In a set borrowed together from the library, my 8 yr old son awarded this tale 5 stars, Hansel & Gretel 1 star and Cinderella 3+ stars.
September 26, 2016
The very traditional story with modern illustrations. Nothing to complain about with this straight forward rendition.
July 14, 2017
the pictures were really good a very simple children's graphic novel
July 21, 2017
A book that would nice intro into juvenile graphic novels. I enjoyed the richly-colored artistic style that this classic fairy tale was portrayed in.
July 4, 2024
Like the first Graphic Spin that I read, this is lame art and lame retelling, imo. This despite different author and illustrator. I am giving this one more star because the back matter told me more about the historical versions of the tale than I had known before, including two different reasons Jack steals from the giant. 1. It's his father's stuff in the first place and 2. Jack is a mischief making trickster.
I much prefer the Far Out fairy tales, and maybe also the Fractured series.
I much prefer the Far Out fairy tales, and maybe also the Fractured series.
August 15, 2024
Graphic retelling of the folktale with the most common elements included.
July 10, 2026
A good read and honestly a speedrun too.
July 25, 2015
Categories/Genres: Traditional Literature, Fairy tales, Graphic Novel
Estimate of age level of interest: Grades 3-6
Estimate of reading level: Grade Level Equivalent- 2.3
Brief description- Jack and his mother are struggling to make ends meet. When Jack trades their cow for a few lousy beans his mother is furious and throws them out the window. Overnight a beanstalk grows high into the sky. What will Jack find? Read this graphic novel to find out!
Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book: 1) Although this book is a graphic novel it sticks to the traditional simple and direct plot structure. As is often the case in folk tales, repetition plays a large role in the story. Jack climbs the beanstalk 3 times, each time facing increasing danger. 2) Graphic novels should have a narrative which is enhanced by the artwork. The text in this retelling of the story is limited and much of the story is told through illustration. This coupled with the fact that many children are already familiar with this tale will make of interest to reluctant and struggling readers.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
This book gives a bit of a more exciting feel to a traditional tale. The illustrations look modern, reminiscent of graffiti. This will help to draw in younger readers and hold their attention. The text can be over simplified at times which tends to take away from the story, but this would still be a good addition to a unit on fairy tales.
Awards: None
Links to published reviews from professional sources:
Booklist 11/01/08
Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Library Media Connection 05/01/09
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=5...
Estimate of age level of interest: Grades 3-6
Estimate of reading level: Grade Level Equivalent- 2.3
Brief description- Jack and his mother are struggling to make ends meet. When Jack trades their cow for a few lousy beans his mother is furious and throws them out the window. Overnight a beanstalk grows high into the sky. What will Jack find? Read this graphic novel to find out!
Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book: 1) Although this book is a graphic novel it sticks to the traditional simple and direct plot structure. As is often the case in folk tales, repetition plays a large role in the story. Jack climbs the beanstalk 3 times, each time facing increasing danger. 2) Graphic novels should have a narrative which is enhanced by the artwork. The text in this retelling of the story is limited and much of the story is told through illustration. This coupled with the fact that many children are already familiar with this tale will make of interest to reluctant and struggling readers.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
This book gives a bit of a more exciting feel to a traditional tale. The illustrations look modern, reminiscent of graffiti. This will help to draw in younger readers and hold their attention. The text can be over simplified at times which tends to take away from the story, but this would still be a good addition to a unit on fairy tales.
Awards: None
Links to published reviews from professional sources:
Booklist 11/01/08
Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Library Media Connection 05/01/09
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=5...
Read
August 29, 2012This was a pretty standard telling of Jack and the Beanstalk (or in this case Jack and the Magic Beans). It was helpful for adding a lot of words to my Spanish vocabulary, but wasn't as detailed as some of the versions I'd heard when I was younger.
March 18, 2009
Love the style of the illustrations and design of the book, in general. Even the endpages are a lovely, swirly, shiny/vinyl-like black.
January 24, 2015
Jack and the Beanstalk: The Graphic Novel
Hoena, Blake *
cartoon verson of the old story with nothing new added.
Hoena, Blake *
cartoon verson of the old story with nothing new added.
September 16, 2012
Liked that it gave history of the original story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews