Pretty traditional telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack really comes off as the villain in this one. The giant's wife wasn't in the other tellings I've read, but she is the one who shelters Jack from her husband in this. She's kind to Jack, but he keeps robbing the giants. Sure, the giant husband eats people, but the giant wife seems like a nice giant. Jack, on the other hand, is greedy and gets away with everything. He ends up rich and happy for his greed. Not exactly a great message to be learned from this. ( )

Summary:

A poor boy and his mother lose their source of income. The boy sells their cow for magic beans that grow a beanstalk from the ground into the sky. When the boy, Jack, climes to the top he finds a giant's house. Jack steals gold coins his first trip, a golden goose his second trip, and a golden harp the last trip. On the last trip, the giant chased Jack and fell off the beanstalk. Jack and his mother lived happily ever after.

Personal Reaction:

Some stories are based on life lessons. This one, however, is just an entertaining story. I think it is important to have a mix of both.

Classroom Extension Ideas:

1. Give the children __ beans and paint to paint the beans. Encourage the children to paint them whatever color they think magic beans are. When the beans are dry, give the children a small square of cloth and tell them to place the beans on the cloth. Finally, give the children a rubber band to tie the bag of beans. Then they have their very own bag of magic beans.

2. Make a beanstalk. Use a paper towel roll painted green for the beanstalk. Use stuffing for the clouds. Use pictures of the giant and Jack to represent them. Glue stuffing on top of the paper towel roll and the giant and Jack's pictures in their respective places. ( )