Jack and the Bean Pie

August 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-A creative boy spends his family's money on a bag of magic beans. After his mother throws them out the window, he sees a massive beanstalk growing to the sky. When Jack climbs it, he finds an agitated giant with the famous cry, "Fe fi fo fum!/I smell the blood/of an Englishman!" When Jack realizes the giant has a softer side, he devises a plot, changing the giants' favorite ingredient, humans, to beans instead. He shares the truth about the change to their cherished recipe, and the giant forgets about his desire to consume human flesh, and the two go into the bean-pie selling business instead. Ample white background leaves plenty of uncluttered space for young readers to uncover the plot. Two concluding puzzles and a note for adults encourage children to put their own twist to the story. Wavy lines and dynamic expressions highlight the protagonist's emotions. Jack's zany adventures serve up a solid addition to collections of twists to traditional fairy tales.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

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