Jack and the Beanstalk - Softcover

E. Nesbit (1858-1924) spent her childhood in Germany and later lived in England. Her classic stories of fantasy and adventure for children, written in the early 1890s, include The Story of the Treasure Seekers, Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Railway Children. Matt Tavares is the illustrator of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (9781406302271) and Iron Hans (9780744593518), and the author/illustrator of Zachary's Ball and Oliver's Game. He lives in Maine, USA.

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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