Jack and the Beanstalk [Paperback]

Matt Faulkner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1986 | Age Level: 4 and up

Fairy tale about clever Jack, who climbs a beanstalk and outwits a hungry giant.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though his text remains true to the popular version of this English fairy tale, Kellogg's ( Paul Bunyan ; Pecos Bill ) typically antic art gives this rendition a visual dimension that is uniquely his. Created with colored inks, watercolors and acrylics, the full-page illustrations have extraordinary texture and dimension. With a mouthful of pointy teeth and warts covering his scaly green face, Kellogg's villain is a truly horrid fellow who may in fact be a wee bit scary for fainthearted little ones--it's easy to believe that this giant eats little boys for breakfast. Slightly less menacing (though hardly comely) is his wife, who wears a necklace of tiny skeletons and hides Jack from her hungry husband. The pictures' variegated gold and bronze hues effectively cast an ominous glow over the ogre's palace. The art also features diverting details that youngsters may miss the first time around, which is one of many good reasons to read this book more than once. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Kellogg has streamlined Joseph Jacobs's version of the classic story, keeping much of its vigorous language. In the illustrations he has provided a story within a story. On the front endpapers, the ogre steals the gold, harp, and hen from pirates as a wizard floating by in a hot-air balloon watches; this has the effect of enlightening readers about some of the moral ambiguities of the story. The wizard is shown writing down the actual events that follow and provides Jack with the beans that set them all in motion. Kellogg's riotous, swirling pen is perfect for the energy of the tale; this is not the neat, contained English countryside of some previous editions. The ogre is toothy, warty, and a rather putrid yellow-green. His wife breaks the mold as well; she is tall and slim, fond of lipstick, and adorned in a necklace of skeletal shrunken heads. Colored inks, watercolors and acrylics throughout are similar in palette to Kellogg's recent work--lots of orange, yellow, and green--at times bordering on the garish. There are many humorous touches to delight children, who will also be happy to see Pinkerton accompanying the princess's entourage. Jack himself is irresistible. While many single-volume illustrated fairy tales have oversaturated the market, there should be plenty of room for this author/artist's extremely satisfying Jack and the Beanstalk . --Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590401645
• ISBN-13: 978-0590401647
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > European

More About the Author

Award winning children's book author and illustrator Matt Faulkner grew up in a small town just outside of Boston, Ma. Upon graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1983, Matt took a job setting typography in NYC at an ad agency. Boy, was that the wrong job for Matt! Just as the studio manager was about to let him go, the owner of the agency saw the drawings Matt had done on his work table during lunch and hired him to draw storyboards for t.v. commercials! He got his own office and a pay raise! Woohoo!
Not long after, Matt created his first author/illustrated picture book- "The Amazing Voyage of Jackie Grace" with Scholastic. Since then he has created over 30 books for children. He delights in illuminating both historic stories and more fanciful tales and he works very hard not to get the two mixed up. Recently his author/illustrated book "A Taste of Colored Water" received the Comstock Honor award by the Minnesota State University, was chosen as a finalist by the California Commonwealth Club for it's 2009 Book award and was chosen as a winner in the pre-adolescent category by the National Storytelling Network. The NSNetwork also chose "Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American" (written by Laure Halse Anderson) as the winner of it's adolescent category in 2009. Matt and is engaged to author, Kris Remenar and currently lives with his son, Gabe, and two cat's on a little island in San Francisco Bay.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illustrator Speaks:, January 8, 2005

By 

M. Faulkner "author and illustrator" (michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jack and the Beanstalk (Paperback)

Hello, I am Matt Faulkner, the illustrator of the book pictured above. The reviews attached to this book are for a version of Jack and the Beanstalk illustrated by Steven Kellogg. I hope you get a chance to check out the Jack and the Beanstalk which I illustrated. It has sold over 600k books since its publication in 1985.

Thank you,

Matt Faulkner