Customer Reviews

Jack and the Beanstalk

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was very anxious to get this story because my 3 yr daughter saw a segment about Jack and the Beanstalk on a Barney video and loved the story....I have bought other books in this series and loved them so I naturally went for this version as well. But I am disappointed - It isn't the story so much that bothers me....it is the illustrations in the book....dark, too adult....no whimsy or colors....very very green and very dreary and even scary for a 3 year old....After reading one time the book to my daughter, the next time I took it out she said "No, not that book....its ugly".... my daughter is a book nut you loves to be read ...and she isn't a child who needs colors to love a book - she loves "The Giving Tree" for example....But this book just has very drak, and gloomy drawings....to be honest before even reading it to her, I thought it was kinda ugly too....ugly atleast for a children's book....

I think the other stories in the series are great but pass on this one for the under 4 age crowd....more for the llustrations then anything else....

I thought this was a great version of the story with great graphics. I used to tell this story from memory to my 2 yr old daughter and it's all she wanted to hear about, so I thought I'd look for a book. This story was pretty much the same one, had more details than what I remembered, but good details. For those interested (since it's not real clear), here is a summary of how this specific book tells the story:

-Jack and his mom (who is out of work) are poor and decide to sell their cow
-Jack goes to sell it but is met by a man on the way who trades the cow for magic beans
-Jack's mom gets angry and throws the beans out the window, resulting in a beanstalk
-Jack climbs the beanstalk to find a castle
-The female giant agrees to let Jack work for some money, but warns him that her husband will want to eat him if he gets caught
-Jack steals some gold coins from the male giant while he is sleeping (which the giant stole from Jack's village in the first place)
-Jack goes back up a second time and steals the goose that lays the golden eggs
-Jack goes up a third time to steal the singing harp, against his mother's request, which ends up waking up the giant, who chases jack down the beanstalk
-Jack and his mom chop down the beanstalk, destroying the giant

I bought a few fairy tale books from this collection. They have just the right amount of words for preschoolers/kindergartners. I told some parts in my own words, but the kids LOVED these stories and really caught on. Must have this classic in your collection!

I bought a bunch of these books for our 3.5-yr old son for bed time reading. The stories are told briefly and well, illustrations seem dated but kinda remind me of when we read these when we were little. Takes about 15-20 minutes to get through each book at a decent pace - just the right amount of time to have them fall asleep. That was the whole purpose of these books for us!

This is a classic fairy tale that is probably more suited for boys, but my young daughter also loves it when I read it to her. This beautifully illustrated book is about a boy named Jack who out of poverty and responsibility, continually keeps climbing a large beanstalk that reaches up into the clouds to a land where a giant lives. The giant killed Jack's father many years ago, and Jack swore to a fairy that he would avenge his death. However, this task isn't done hastily as the temptation to steal the giant's many treasures in his house proves to be too tempting for Jack to resist. Eventually, Jack makes good on his promise and slays the Giant - I'm sure you already know how, but if not, why spoil the fun (it's nothing excessive). The book easily grabs your child's attention and keeps them entertained throughout the whole tale.

Jack is a little mischievous, but his troublesome ways do lead to justice for his father and income for his mother. All things considered; a happy ending. The price is also very decent. I hope you treat your child, and give this book a try. It's a classic tale that every kid should know.

Darien Summers, author of The Mischievous Hare, a children's book.

It is very difficult to find fairy tales appropriate for preschoolers -- either they are too close to the original, "dark" versions or they are too wordy/lengthy to keep a young child's attention. This book is great, because it is direct, simple, yet well-written. The story is not all roses and rainbows, but it's not as brutal as the original Grimm or Andersen tales. The pictures are beautiful. My four-year-old loves this story, more than any of the others in the series, and now he knows what we mean when we yell "Fee fi fo fum!" when we come looking for him during hide-and-seek!

This is another book, parents should get for their children's bookshelves. A classic tale about a lazy boy named Jack, who trade a cow for magic beans instead of money. The magic beans grew into a very high beanstalk that reaches the clouds. Curious Jack climbed up the stalk where he met a fairy telling him how the orge was the one who killed his father and took all of their fortune. Jack went to steal back the golden ehh laying hen, the bags of gold and the magic harp in three visits and ended up killing the giant by cutting fown the tree. In ways, this book actually is a story of revenge of Jack towards the ogre.

The story was about a young boy named jack. He was a poor boy who lived with his mother. One day they had no food to eat. So jack took the cow to town. A man stopped him and said I have some magic beans that I will trade you for your cow. So Jack said ok. When he got home his mom was mad at him. They didn't eat that night. The nexed morning jack seen a giant beanstalk. He claimed it as fast as he could. He seen a giant and a hen and a magic harp jack grabed it and ran. The lesson it teach is don't steel. The age level is 4-7. I liked the book.