Jack and the Beanstalk - Hardcover

Nesbit, E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763621242 ISBN 13: 9780763621247

Publisher: Candlewick, 2006

Synopsis

"Elegant watercolors echoing the burnished gold tones of the rolling fields show well in storyhours." —School Library Journal

Jack can't seem to do anything useful for his poor mother. He can't even conduct an errand as simple as selling the cow; instead, he trades the beast for a handful of beans. But then, amazingly, those very beans sprout into a towering stalk, elevating Jack to a strange land ruled by a greedy giant. Jack must be clever and brave as he tries to return the giant's stolen treasures to their rightful owner. E. Nesbit's charming, wry retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk was first published in 1908. Preserving the author's unabridged text, this gorgeously designed edition features the dynamic artwork and dramatic perspectives of Matt Tavares, realized in full-color illustrations.

About this title

About the Author

E. Nesbit (1858-1924) spent her childhood in France and Germany and later lived in England. She began writing stories of fantasy and adventure for children in the early 1890s and is renowned for her very real, strong-willed young characters. Her novels include The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1898), Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), and The Railway Children (1906).

Matt Tavares is the illustrator of the seasonal classic 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and the author-illustrator of several baseball-inspired favorites: Zachary's Ball, Oliver's Game, and Mudball. He lives in Ogunquit, Maine.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3–This witty, elegant retelling of the beloved English fairy tale, originally published in 1908 in The Old Nursery Stories, uses rich language to depict an endearing, if lazy, ne'er-do-well who turns folly into triumph. Into the traditional story Nesbit injects clever details that make the setting vivid and bring the characters to life. Jack's cottage had dormer windows and green shutters whose hinges were so rusty that the shutters wouldn't shut. Jack had taken some of them to make a raft with. The narrative is fairly true to the familiar story with the notable absence of any fee-fi-fo-fums (instead, the giant smells fresh meat), and includes a guiding fairy who tells Jack the story of his father who once ruled this land, only to be killed by the giant who imprisoned the faithful subjects in the trees. Tavares's realistic pencil-and-watercolor paintings feature a muted palette of grays, greens, and browns, with a vintage look suitable to the old tale. Gold is used to particularly good effect, lighting up fairy glow, eggs, harp, and the giant's crown, as well as suggesting sunlight on the landscape. There is great variety in the page layout. Perspective, too, changes as the giant's head takes up one whole page; another spread features the fallen behemoth with his huge feet dominating the foreground. Front and back endpapers are stunning, panoramic views depicting the beginning and end of the story. What a treat to have Nesbit's delightful interpretation as its own picture book.–Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
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Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0763621242
• ISBN 13: 9780763621247
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Tavares Matt