book review jack and the beanstalk

A Summary and Analysis of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

What is the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ all about? And what is the moral of this story? It’s one of the best-known and best-loved fairy tales in Britain, and also – as we will see – one of the oldest.

Plot summary

First, a very short summary of the plot of the Jack and the beanstalk tale (or a refresher for those who are some way out of the nursery). Jack is a young and rather reckless boy who lives with his widowed mother. They become increasingly poor – thanks partly to Jack’s own carelessness – until the day comes when all they have left is a cow, which Jack’s mother tells him to take to the market to sell for money. Unfortunately, while on his way into town, Jack meets a bean dealer who says he will pay Jack a hat full of magic beans for the cow.

Jack, delighted to have been made an offer on the cow before he’s even reached the market, lives up to his reckless reputation once again and agrees to the deal. He returns home with no cow and no money and only a hat full of beans to show for the journey; his mother, needless to say, is less than happy with this outcome, and hurls the beans out into the garden in her anger. They both retire to bed without having eaten, as they have no food left.

However, when Jack wakes the next morning, he finds that the magic beans scattered across the garden have grown into a giant beanstalk outside his window. He promptly climbs it – as you do – and finds a whole new land at the top. Wandering among this land, Jack comes upon a huge castle and sneaks his way inside.

The giant, who owns the castle, returns home and smells Jack, proclaiming: ‘Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of an English man: Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.’ Jack steals a sack of gold from the giant’s castle before swiftly making his escape back down the beanstalk.

However, this is a fairy tale, which wouldn’t be complete without obeying the ‘rule of three’. So, Jack duly climbs the beanstalk twice more and steals from the giant twice more. The giant wakes when Jack is leaving the castle the third time, and chases Jack back down the beanstalk.

The quick-thinking Jack calls for his mother to throw down an axe for him; before the giant reaches the ground, Jack chops down the beanstalk, causing the giant to fall to his death. Jack and his mother live happily ever after, and are never poor or hungry again, thanks to Jack’s burgling skills. Who says crime doesn’t pay?

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, like a great number of fairy tales, has a curious and complicated history. The story’s earliest incarnation of in print was as ‘The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean’ in 1734; it underwent some tidying up (with a large dose of moralising added for good measure) in 1807 in Benjamin Tabart’s ‘The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk’, although the elements we most associate with the story were given the definitive treatment in an 1890 version.

All this would suggest that the tale of Jack and the beanstalk is relatively recent, especially when so many other classic fairy tales have medieval prototypes in world literature.

But in fact, researchers at the universities in Durham and Lisbon believe that the essential story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ dates back over 5,000 years, or two whole millennia before Homer. This prototype of Jack’s beanstalk antics is classified by folklorists as ATU 328 The Boy Who Stole Ogre’s Treasure. Like ‘ Rumpelstiltskin ’ and ‘ Beauty and the Beast ’, this story appears to be thousands, rather than hundreds, of years old.

As we implied above, there is something immoral in the story’s essential message: steal from others to get yourself out of poverty, and you will triumph. The killing of the giant is self-defence, admittedly, but we can see why Victorians might have been a little queasy around the central thrust of the story.

This addition makes the tale more palatable to younger readers whose parents want to use the fairy tale for moral instruction as well as entertainment, and, after all, Jack is still far from perfect. His lack of foresight and rashness lead to his selling the cow for such a low price.

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ has endured because it contains so many of the classic ingredients of the fairy tale: the plucky young hero who’s down on his luck, the evil villain, the happy ending. And it’s been around for a long time: if those scholars are correct in their analysis, the original for the story has been around for almost twice as long as Homer’s Iliad . That’s some literary pedigree.

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2 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’”

Disney applied their share of sanitizing as well.

this post remind monkey of post apocalyptic novel what have name Not Even Light. chapter 14 start like this.

Maybe you’ve wondered what first got me thinking about setting on my own along strange paths. I know it sounds farfetched, but it was an Old Days tale that a traveling storyteller told my cohort. Before he did, he said it’d strike us at first as just a story for the youngest kiddies, but if we gave it some thought, it’d say a lot to us or even to olders–or it should. Maybe you’ve heard the story, too. It’s called Jack and the Beanstalk.   In the beginning, there’s this kiddie Jack scratching out a one-day-at-a-time life–eating, sleeping, chores, and not much more. My attention had started to drift off because it sounded like a story about farm life, but when the storyteller said a funny-looking man offers Jack what he claims are magic beans in trade for Jack’s cow Milky White and Jack says yes straightaway, I got more mindful and wondered what kind of bonehead would trade something as rare and important as a cow for a handful of beans without proof that they were magic. I listened carefully to the rest of the story then, about how Jack climbs the magic beanstalk that shoots way up into the sky overnight after his pissed-off mother throws the beans out the window. Jack makes three trips up the beanstalk, each time stealing from the man-eating giant who lives in the sky. After Jack steals a singing harp on his third adventure, he slags the giant by chopping down the beanstalk while the giant is chasing him down to the earth from his kingdom in the clouds. Jack does well for himself in the story. After he kills the giant, he grows more and more rich and mates up with a beautiful princess. The way the storyteller made it sound, those were his rewards–but I wondered, rewards for what exactly?   Now most–no, all the rest of my cohort wouldn’t have dreamed of swapping a cow for a handful of beans to begin with or climbing up into the sky a first time like Jack did much less two more times knowing that a bloodthirsty giant was lying in wait. It was just a silly story to them, and they listened to it with about as much interest as a donkey would have. But I could hardly keep the questions bubbling up in my head from spilling out and interrupting the storyteller. Who was the funny-looking man, and why had he picked Jack to trade with, I wondered. Was he working for the giant? Why would Jack have been so quick to believe the beans were magic? Why did Jack decide to climb up the beanstalk again after the first two times? He knew the giant would be waiting to bushwhack him, kill him on sight, and grind his bones up. Jack already had the giant’s bag of gold coins and a hen that laid gold eggs, so he’d already be rich forever because in Old Days you could buy anything you needed or wanted with gold. So why did Jack go back up and try his luck a third time? And why’d he risk his neck for a useless singing harp? And who were those other boys the giant had grabbed and murdered and eaten? Was it luck or magic or brains or all three that helped Jack kill the giant? And after all his adventures, why would Jack just give up excitement for contentment? I waited until the storyteller finished and then let loose. The storyteller stopped me before I got all my questions out and said I should think hard about those questions and the best answers would come to me without his help. I tried to get some talk about Jack going with my cohort later, but they weren’t interested, so I mulled over my questions by myself for the next couple days.   In Jack I came to see myself. No, of course I wouldn’t actually climb a magic beanstalk, outfox and slag a man-killing giant, and get rich and pair off with a beautiful girl. But the story got me thinking about leaving the farm and testing myself and growing up on my own by using my brains and taking advantage of whatever luck came my way–you know, like Jack did.   So now you know what first got me dreaming about roading the trails through the Big Woods far from the farm. That storyteller’s words were my magic beans and maybe Bors had become my giant in some way that I didn’t yet understand. My own life and the lives of many others might be the prizes I’d steal away from him. Maybe I’d get lucky and Dyani would wind up being my beautiful princess. Who knew? Hadi had said we were all walking around in an old story. Well, yes, we were, but as we pushed on to find our hidden treasure, I knew that I was also the creator of a new story–the one I’d started piecing together for myself long before I left White Cedars. And now back to it.

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Jack: the true story of jack & the beanstalk.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 1 Review
• Kids Say 1 Review

Common Sense Media Review

Exciting, funny, fractured fairy tale of boy vs. giants.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Liesl Shurtliff's Jack: The True Story of Jack & the Beanstalk is another fractured fairy tale from the author of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. It follows the traditional story with a few alterations, most notably that Jack is 12 years old. Some characters…

Why Age 8+?

Frequent peril from fantasy creatures such as giants and pixies. People being cr

Any Positive Content?

Part of being great is knowing when to step aside and listen to others, even tho

Jack is a mischievous troublemaker but doesn't have bad intentions. He learn

Kids familiar with the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale can compare this story

Violence & Scariness

Frequent peril from fantasy creatures such as giants and pixies. People being crushed and eaten by giants mentioned many times. A few fights with punching and hitting. A bleeding injury mentioned.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Part of being great is knowing when to step aside and listen to others, even those smaller than you. Everyone feels small sometimes, even giants. Actions take more effort than words. Being beautiful is no guarantee of being loved. There's not much use for gold when you have everything you need, such as food, shelter, and family. There's magic in growing things, and keeping close ties to the land yields treasure greater than gold.

Positive Role Models

Jack is a mischievous troublemaker but doesn't have bad intentions. He learns to empathize with those he's played tricks on and doesn't want to make people or animals feel bad anymore. He's brave and clever and learns that his annoying little sister has valuable ideas and talents too. Sister Annabelle is a friend to everyone, able to bring out the best in others. Jack's mother scolds him a lot, but both parents are loving.

Educational Value

Kids familiar with the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale can compare this story to other versions. Each chapter opens with a quote from Jack the Giant Killer , adapted by Joseph Jacobs in the late 19th century.

Parents need to know that Liesl Shurtliff 's Jack: The True Story of Jack & the Beanstalk is another fractured fairy tale from the author of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin . It follows the traditional story with a few alterations, most notably that Jack is 12 years old. Some characters from Rump appear, but it's a stand-alone story. Expect fantasy violence from being in frequent peril from giant humans and animals as well as magical pixies; a few fights include punches and hits. Jack learns empathy and changes his behavior. Kids can be encouraged to think about the value of growing things and being content with having enough instead of being obsessed with wanting more.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (1)
• Kids say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Giants descend from the sky, destroying everything in their wake and taking the village's food, crops, and animals back up into the sky with them. Worst of all, they take Jack's father. Hoping to find a way up through the clouds before his father gets eaten, Jack plants some magic beans. When the beanstalk grows up into the Blue and dirt starts falling from the sky, Jack starts climbing. Up above the clouds, he finds a whole kingdom of giants. If he can avoid being eaten himself, either by the giants or by any one of the many giant toads, spiders, mice, cats, and dogs that inhabit the giant world, can he find his father and a way back down the beanstalk?

Is It Any Good?

JACK: THE TRUE STORY OF JACK & THE BEANSTALK will keep kids on the edges of their seats as they follow the adventures of the relatable hero through the scary world of giants. There are plenty of laughs along the way, but Jack's more action-oriented style will keep the pages turning. Some favorite, and not-so-favorite, characters from Rump make return appearances, and kids will enjoy looking at them from a new perspective.

Many favorite fairy tales also are referenced, and kids will stay engaged recognizing Tom Thumb, the old woman who lived in a shoe, and the shoemaker and the elves, among others. The modern, easygoing language and fast-moving action make it an entertaining choice either to read aloud or to keep kids engrossed and reading on their own.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why fairy tales are always popular. Why do we love them so much?

What other versions of Jack and the Beanstalk have you read or seen? What's different about this one? Do you have a favorite?

Did you read Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstltskin ? How is Jack different or the same? Which story do you like better?

Book Details

• Author : Liesl Shurtliff
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Book Characters , Brothers and Sisters , Cats, Dogs, and Mice , Fairy Tales , Wild Animals
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Alfred A. Knopf
• Publication date : April 21, 2015
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
• Number of pages : 304
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : July 12, 2017

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What to read next.

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

The Wishing Spell: The Land of Stories, Book 1

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Fairy tales for kids, fantasy books for kids, related topics.

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Waking Brain Cells

"i like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells." — dr. seuss, book review: jack and the beanstalk by nina crews.

Jack and the Beanstalk by Nina Crews

A fresh, modern take on the traditional tale, here Jack lives in a city and is paid the beans for a job he has done.  When he plants the beans, they grow into the huge beanstalk.  He climbs the beanstalk to discover giants living in the clouds.  Giants who have a hen who lays golden eggs and plenty of jobs for Jack to do for them.  But Jack escapes down the beanstalk with the hen.  The giants chase after him, and then the ending takes a pleasant twist from the traditional story.  A new look at an old story, this book will be most enjoyed by children who are familiar with the traditional tale and can spot the differences.

Crews is known for her innovative illustrations that use collages of photographs to create modern, vibrant stories.  Here she uses the technique to great effect with beanstalk in particular.  She also captures the feel of an urban setting very nicely and subtly.  The entire book feels modern and interesting.

The story does have surprising twists and turns from the original.  This too adds the feeling of freshness.  The story moves along faster than the original and reads aloud very nicely.  The bellows of the giants, the rhythm of the writing, and the bright illustrations make for a book that is perfect for sharing.

Ideal for comparing and contrasting with more traditional versions of the story, this book also reads aloud well on its own.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt and Company.

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Jack and the Beanstalk

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Jack and the Beanstalk

Climb the beanstalk with Jack in this quirky take on the traditional tale. When there's no food in the cupboard, Jack goes to market to sell Daisy the cow. But rather than money, Jack procures magic beans...and the promise of adventure! This new paperback edition includes online access to the audiobook performed by British actor Richard Hope.

Additional formats available  here .

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• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 10.75 inches
• Page Count: 40 pages
• Age Range: Ages 3-7 years

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

by Nina Töwe ; illustrated by Nina Töwe ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2017

An imaginative, dramatic, and surprising rendition of Jack’s famous adventure.

In this stylish retelling of the classic folk tale, penniless Jack climbs a magical beanstalk, outsmarts a greedy giant, and restores family fortunes.

In the familiar plot, when Jack’s mother sends him to sell their cow to buy food, he returns with “magic” beans instead. His distraught mother discards the beans, which sprout into a towering beanstalk. Thrice Jack scales the beanstalk, hides from the giant (who killed his father and stole their wealth), and exacts revenge by taking the giant’s hen who lays golden eggs, his gold coins, and his gold harp. When the giant finally pursues him, Jack takes his axe to the beanstalk. The familiar text offers no surprises, but blood-red endpapers decorated with a beetle and green beans portend an untraditional visual approach. In contrast to pale-skinned Jack and his mother, rendered in delicate black-and-white strokes, Töwe paints everything else in bold, emotionally charged hues. With a fish for an eye and another on her head, the giant’s green wife appears more than creepy, while the giant is a disconcerting, barely recognizable assemblage of animals, medieval buildings, shells, bones, insects, and plants. Every double-page spread offers arresting close-ups and perspectives, perplexing combinations, and powerful, surreal compositions to confound or delight, while the twisting, green beanstalk exudes kinetic energy.

Pub Date: May 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-988-8341-36-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: minedition

Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011

Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

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BOOK REVIEW

by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

by Carson Ellis ; illustrated by Carson Ellis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 24, 2015

Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.

Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”

Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.

Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014

More by Randall de Sève

by Randall de Sève ; illustrated by Carson Ellis

by Mac Barnett ; illustrated by Carson Ellis

by Carson Ellis ; illustrated by Carson Ellis

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There are stakes on the plane in “Here One Moment,” the latest from the Australian fiction powerhouse.

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HERE ONE MOMENT , by Liane Moriarty

Nine novels in, Liane Moriarty’s output falls somewhere between empire and institution: a reliable bastion of breezy yet propulsive storytelling, smartly informed by relevant issues of the day (infertility, wellness culture, domestic abuse). Her books claim prime real estate at chain stores and airports kiosks and regularly go on to become glossy television fodder, more often than not fronted by her fellow Australian Nicole Kidman (see “Big Little Lies,” “Nine Perfect Strangers” and the upcoming “The Last Anniversary,” which she’ll produce).

At the same time, Moriarty is still consigned to the metaphorical broom closet of “women’s fiction” — dismissed as something less than literature or damned with faint pink praise. Never mind that her latest, the busy but unhurried “Here One Moment,” is as demographically diverse as a phone book. Granted, it helps when your character pool is pulled from a flight manifest: a short domestic plane ride between the sunny Tasmanian capital of Hobart and Sydney.

Or it should have been short, except for a two-hour delay that leaves passengers tetchy and frazzled, each one caught up in the private drama of mislaid plans. Among them: the 40-ish engineer missing his daughter’s grammar-school “Lion King”; the contract lawyer turned bleary stay-at-home mom left to wrangle a screaming infant and a vomitous toddler; and the beautiful flight attendant spending perhaps her worst birthday on the tarmac, distributing “light snacks” and strained apologies in between desperate rummages for a tampon.

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Her impromptu performance might be dismissed as a kooky parlor game by the passengers whose presumptive ends still lie decades away, but it is less amusing to the ones given more immediate and violent fates: workplace accident, age 43; assault, age 30; intimate partner homicide, age 25. Even the baby on board, blameless except for the screaming, receives his sentence; drowning, age 7.

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Jack and the Beanstalk (Paul Galdone Nursery Classic) Hardcover – Picture Book, September 24, 2013

• Reading age 4 - 7 years
• Print length 40 pages
• Language English
• Grade level Preschool - 3
• Lexile measure NP
• Dimensions 8 x 0.38 x 8 inches
• Publisher Clarion Books
• Publication date September 24, 2013
• ISBN-10 0544066650
• ISBN-13 978-0544066656
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

"This spirited and broadly comic version will be a welcome addition to fairy tale collections and to the picture book hour." School Library Journal —

About the Author

Paul Galdone was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1907 and emigrated to the United States in 1928. After finishing his studies at the Art Student League and the New York School of Industrial Design, Mr. Galdone worked in the art department of a major publishing house. He illustrated almost three hundred books, many of which he himself wrote. The winner of two Caldecott Honors, Mr. Galdone is fondly remembered for his lively style, bright earthy humor, and action-filled illustrations, which will continue to delight for generations to come. www.paulgaldone.com

Paul Galdone was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1907 and emigrated to the United States in 1928. After finishing his studies at the Art Student League and the New York School of Industrial Design, Mr. Galdone worked in the art department of a major publishing house. He illustrated almost three hundred books, many of which he himself wrote. The winner of two Caldecott Honors, Mr. Galdone is fondly remembered for his lively style, bright earthy humor, and action-filled illustrations, which will continue to delight for generations to come.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books; Illustrated edition (September 24, 2013)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0544066650
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0544066656
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7 years
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ NP
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.3 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.38 x 8 inches
• #171 in Nursery Rhymes
• #1,528 in Children's Classics
• #2,816 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books

About the author

Paul galdone.

Paul Galdone (June 2, 1907 - November 7, 1986) was an illustrator and writer known best for children's picture books.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

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Customers say

Customers find the illustrations delightful and cute. Opinions are mixed on the language, with some finding it wonderful and meaningful, while others say it's written in archaic language.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the illustrations delightful and cute.

"...If, however, you want to enjoy masterful illustrations , a meaningful story-line with wonderful turns of phrase, and classic fairy tale moral lessons..." Read more

" Students love illustrations . Great reinforcement for poetry." Read more

" Very cute ! Old original tale." Read more

" Great illustrations , but not the classic story!..." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the language of the book. Some mention it's a wonderful rhyming version of the story with wonderful turns of phrase and delightful word play. Others say it'd be better if it was written in archaic language and some of the vocabulary is fairly esoteric.

"...enjoy masterful illustrations, a meaningful story-line with wonderful turns of phrase , and classic fairy tale moral lessons, then this one is for you." Read more

"...Furthermore, some of the vocabulary is fairly esoteric : "I will comb thee and wash thee, and make thee quite spruce" or "Jack bought it for sixpence,..." Read more

"This is a wonderful rhyming version of this story ! My son memorized it when he was little. I bought it again so that he..." Read more

"Students love illustrations. Great reinforcement for poetry ." Read more

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