Jack and the Beanstalk - Hardcover

Beneduce, Ann Keay; Spirin, Gennady

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399231188 ISBN 13: 9780399231186

Publisher: Philomel, 1999

Synopsis

Having traded the family's only cow for beans, Jack hears the angry tone of his mother upon his return, yet when the beans turn into a magical stalk that rises to a kingdom above the clouds, young Jack's luck is about to change forever.

About this title

From Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Beneduce and Spirin have previously paired their talents for Gulliver's Adventures in Lilliput (1996), The Tempest (1996), and Snow White and Rose Red (1997, all Philomel). Here they turn their hand to what is perhaps the most well known of the Jack tales. Beneduce has a fine command of the language, and the narrative flows smoothly. Spirin's watercolor-and-tempera paintings are nothing less than gorgeous, using dark, soft tones to create a misty fairy-tale world. Beneduce has, however, elected to use a version of the tale that supplies Jack with the moral prerogative to steal the giant's treasures. Partway up the beanstalk, Jack meets a fairy who informs him that it was this particular giant who killed Jack's father and stole the family fortune, and it is now his duty to avenge these wrongs. As a result, this Jack may hold less appeal for some readers. He is no longer a bold adventurer who uses wit and cunning to triumph over brainless brawn but is instead a good little boy who is only following orders. Those expecting the cheeky lad found in Joseph Jacobs's 1898 collection of English fairy tales will be disappointed. Those who are more comfortable with Jack possessed of righteous justification are in for a treat. Beneduce includes an expository note detailing the historical background of the Jack cycle as well as her own reasons for preferring this rather didactic version of the tale.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

If beanstalks are wondrous, Spirin proves it so, painting golden-lit panels with da Vinci-esque dark undertones. The watercolor and tempera paintings are paired with pages of text that tell the classic story of Jack and the Giant-Killer, based on an 1881 version in Horace Scudder's The Children's Book. Set in Tudor England, the variant tells of a fairy who appears, encouraging Jack to avenge the death of his father, killed by an evil giant. When Jack is cheated of his cow by a farmer, it is the fairy who transforms his lowly beans into a giant beanstalk. While no hairs are plucked from the giant's beard, Jack gains, in each of his three adventures up the beanstalk, bags of gold, a hen that lays golden eggs, and a magic harp. He succeeds in chopping down the beanstalk, sending the giant crashing to his doom, although no mention is made of the fates of the giant's wife and his child captives. Ornate borders with the appearance of fine brocades frame the text, while the giant is cast as a plump, toothy Cyrano, with mushroomy knees and toes as pudgy as bean pods, more roly-poly than frightening. Spirin may not surprise, but he certainly does delight. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0399231188
• ISBN 13: 9780399231186
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Gennady Spirin