Jack & the beanstalk A folktale

K-Gr 2—Töwe presents a concise retelling of the famous story, blending Benjamin Tabart's 1807 version, in which Jack avenges his father's death, with Joseph Jacobs's memorable rhyme of "FEE, FI, FO, FUM!" In this title, there is no directive or threat from a fairy or moralizing about Jack's character failings. Instead Jack learns of his father's death from an old woman, who merely warns him to find the giant "before he finds you!" As in previous versions, Jack employs disguises to trick the giant's wife into letting him inside the castle. There he hides from the returning giant, who smells Jack's English blood and threatens to grind his bones into bread. While the text adheres to tradition, the surrealist illustration style sets the book apart from similar iterations. The artwork is inspired by 16th-century painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo: the giant's wife is a green-headed creature with a red shoe for a nose and fish for eyes and hair; the giant's head a collage of animals, bones, and rocks. Jack and his mother are depicted in black-and-white sketches against lurid, fantastical landscapes with dramatic perspectives. Less wordy than many other versions, this volume will work well in storytimes. VERDICT A solid option for larger collections and libraries looking for an artistic twist to a classic retelling.—Suzanne Myers Harold, formerly at Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR Copyright 2017 School Library Journal.

'Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum!' Jack and his mother are so poor they decide to sell their faithful brown cow. But Jack takes only a handful of beans from a stranger in exchange for the animal! His mother is furious but little does she know that these beans are magic and soon will grow into an enormous beanstalk reaching as far as the eye can see. And at the very top lives a terrifying Giant who Jack must outwit to survive. Nina Töwe's illustrations are inspired by the sixteenth-century paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, best-known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruit, flowers, vegetables and fish.

‘Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum!’ Jack and his mother are so poor they decide to sell their faithful brown cow. But Jack takes only a handful of beans from a stranger in exchange for the animal! His mother is furious but little does she know that these beans are magic and soon will grow into an enormous beanstalk reaching as far as the eye can see. And at the very top lives a terrifying Giant who Jack must outwit to survive. Nina Töwe’s illustrations are inspired by the sixteenth-century paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, best-known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruit, flowers, vegetables and fish.