Jack and the Beanstalk (Classic Fairy Tale Collection)
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Jack, an endearing boy with apple-red cheeks, sells his cow for a handful of beans and climbs the beanstalk. The giant's wife feeds him and hides him three times from her uncouth, ever-hungry husband ("Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell a visitor, yum, yum, yum./Fish or fowl, cold or hot, We'll cook him up inside my pot"), and forgives him for taking the giant's possessions. Because the bones of this classic tale are right, Cech's enhancements feel right, too. The unappreciated wife takes the harp and follows Jack down the beanstalk. The giant, who is afraid of heights, bellows loudly but stays put. Jack's mother, a compassionate woman who would rather have her boy than the treasures, welcomes the giant's wife as her friend. Any noises in the clouds can be blamed on the bellowing giant, forced to live on dry crackers since his wife left. Mackenzie's watercolor illustrations are done in a folk style using a green and gold palette with touches of red. The giant, with his very small head and bleary eyes, contrasts nicely with the rosy cheerfulness of Jack and his mother. Perspective is used to advantage, showing the beanstalk disappearing in the clouds and then the insubstantial base when seen from the top. Pair this retelling with Raymond Briggs'sJim and the Beanstalk(Putnam, 1977) for an enormously satisfying storytime.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TNCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.