Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-7. Many children will recognize this version of a popular folktale as the work of one of their favorite artists. Kellogg's signature style is clear in his depiction of round-faced, wide-eyed Jack and in the bevy of house cats who cavort across the earthbound landscape. When Jack climbs through clouds on his beanstalk, though, Kellogg's artwork takes a distinct turn. It's a witchlike Amazon (with a severe underbite) who greets Jack at the castle door and a vicious, warty ogre with a piglike snout and long, sharp teeth who Jack must best to secure his financial future. When Jack is in the ogre's territory, Kellogg's paintings explode with drama and action. Unfortunately, the boxed text, usually inserted within the paintings, lacks the punch of the pictures. Given all the splendid scenery, it's disappointingly mundane. (Reviewed Oct. 15, 1991)0688102506Stephanie Zvirin
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Seldom has the ogre at the top of the beanstalk been depicted with such gusto! The warty, pug-nosed lout dressed in animal skins and a necklace of teeth is a wonder to behold. Kellogg's story line is faithful to the Joseph Jacobs version, the sturdy text offering a strong framework for the energetic illustrations. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Not a retelling, but a slightly pruned rendition of Joseph Jacobs's classic--the flavor is retained, with no vital omissions (though some of the drama is transferred from the verbal to the pictorial), but some transitions seem abrupt. Kellogg's illustrations are grand: characters are broadly depicted, from a wide-eyed Jack to a truly gruesome ogre with just a hint of Pinkerton to keep him from being too scary; the story's dramatic side is elaborated with gusto (dark shadows in the heroic-scale castle) and leavened with Kellogg trademarks (e.g., a quartet of affectionate cats); the creatively boxed text is unusually well integrated with the illustrations. An excellent introduction to a favorite. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10)
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