Jack and the Beanstalk
Retold and Illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Picture Book Ages 6-10
Rating: 4/5


A retelling of the classic children's fairy tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk!" Jack trades his cow and his only source of income for some magic beans. They grow into a beanstalk up to the sky where Jack travels and meets an Ogre who eats little boys! Jack starts stealing gold from the Ogre until his mother and him have enough to live on and they live happily ever after!

Opinion: This is a good book. I always loved the Jack and the Beanstalk story; I love when the giant yells, "Fee-fi-fo-fum!" It brings back a lot of fun childhood memories. The storyline is basically the same, with no twists, but the pictures are very detailed and colorful, more realistic-looking than cartoon, so I suggest it for older children, especially because the Ogre might scare the young ones! The font is outlined in a gold box which believe it or not adds a lot to the book, including that "fairy tale" vibe. The only thing I don't get is why he calls the Ogre's wife "mum" and I dislike  how quickly it ends: "Jack and his mother became very rich, and Jack married a great princess and they all lived happily ever after." Cliche but had to be done.

Curriculum Connection:  This would be a great book just to have as an anticipatory set, because I think the kids will really get into the "fee-fi-fo-fum!" part. They could even say it with you and it would be a very theatrical sight. It could also be a good book for a fairy tale literacy unit, or it would be a good activity to have them make up the ending or write their own fairytale.