It’s “Fee Fie Foh Fum” when Jack runs smack into the beanstalk upon waking. Later a huge “rumble” spreads across the page when the giant enters the room. Large panels, easy-to-read speech balloons, and a muted full-color palette craft an effective retelling. Background history of the story, writing prompts, and discussion questions are included.
School Library Journal
Frequent ... Read morechildren’s graphic novelist Blake A. Hoena (Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 2008; Ooze Slingers from Outer Space, 2007) offers this new version of the oft-told classic. He elegantly simplifies and streamlines an already fast-paced tale, producing a very crisp version. This allows Ricardo Tercio (Spider-Man Fairy Tales, 2007) to imbue the story with multiple levels through his flexible figures and somber palette. The giant, with his blazing orange eyes and angry, malleable face, presents an age-appropriate sense of menace, and Jack exudes the energy of a young boy, always poised for action even when sitting still. With just a dash of slapstick humor and the tale’s inherent suspense, this is a grand opportunity to introduce young kids to the graphic format through a story they are already familiar with; those who already follow their favorite superheroes in comics will see the vast range of possibilities in sequential art. To help with classroom use, there is a glossary, brief history of the tale, discussion questions, writing prompts, and suggested Internet sites.
Booklist
Jack and his widowed mother lived in a small ramshackle country cottage in England. One day, as Jack was milking the cow, he sadly discovered that she had gone dry. There was no alternative, but to sell Milky White, because otherwise they would starve. On the way to the market Jack ran into an old man who convinced him to trade Milky for five magic beans. Needless to say, his mother was some unhappy and threw him out, stating he couldn’t come back until he got their cow back. He planted those beans, which quickly grew into a giant beanstalk. “FEE FIE FOH FUM! I smell the blood of an Englishman!” Whoa, Jack found something totally unexpected when he reached the top . . . a giant. Perhaps you already know the end of this story! Hoena tells it a bit differently, but a little extra spice is always nice in a fairy tale. The small cast of characters, Jack, The Mother, The Giant’s Wife and the Giant, are introduced in the front of the book. In the back of the book we find information about the author and illustrator, a glossary, the history of Jack and the Beanstalk, discussion questions and writing prompts for classroom or homeschool use. Graphic novels can oftentimes spur the reluctant reader into action. The “comic book” or graphic visual format is more exciting for some children. Tercio’s illustrations are streamlined and simple. The uncluttered pages are appealing will stimulate the reader’s imagination. These retold tales do make reading a bit more enticing and fun! http://roundtableforkids.blogspot.com/2009/04/jack-beanstalk-graphic-novel-juvenile.html
Roundtable Reviews for Kids
Folktales are the perfect genre for graphic novels with their stereotypical characters and plentiful action. Hoena’s retelling of this familiar tale is a blending of two well-known versions: Benjamin Tabart’s chapbook published in 1807 with details found from the Joseph Jacobs’ 1890 version. In the Tabart version, Jack is taking back items the giant had stolen from his father. In Jacobs’ version, Jack is the trickster and steals because his family is poor. Included in this retelling is a table of contents, discussion questions for reading groups, writing prompts, and information about the author and the illustrator. The illustrator has used backgrounds dominated by green, mauve, and brown to create atmosphere in his cartoon-style illustrations, which appear to be in the Disney tradition. Although geared to younger readers, older elementary reluctant readers will enjoy this as well. The cover art is eye-catching, and the sturdy binding will hold up under heavy use. Glossary. Recommended.
Library Media Connection
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