Modern Versions of Jack and the Beanstalk Story
Literary Adaptaions of the Classic Story
Jun 16, 2009
The last half of the 20th Century saw a trend toward creating new versions of older fairy and folk tales or entirely new stories based using specific folklore stories as a motif. Jack and the Beanstalk books are no exception.
Versions of Jack and the Beanstalkfor Children
Catanese, P. W. The Thief and the Beanstalk (New York: Aladdin, 2005. Grades 4-6.)
This is one of the author’s series of sequels to famous folklore tales. An orphan and petty thief, Nick, steals three magical beans from Jack, now an old man. When Nick climbs the ensuing beanstalk he discovers that the kind giantess who befriended Jack many years before is being held captive by her three evil sons who plan to take over Nick and Jack’s world.
Swope, Sam. Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. Grades 3-5.)
An abandoned child, Jack, is known as the village bad boy. When he is blamed for the presence of seven deadly giants in the area, he sets out to defeat them, aided by a friendly horse. The story is a creative combination of the original beanstalk story, Jack the Giant Killer, and the Seven Deadly Sins.
Doherty, Berlie. The Famous Adventures of Jack. (New York: Greenwillow, 2001Grades 1-4).
When a young girl, Jill, begins a journey to find a boy named Jack, she encounters Old Mother Greenwood who informs her that there are several Jacks that fit the girl’s description. The woman then precedes to tell her several stories to help her identify the lost boy. These stories are clever re-workings of folktales and nursery rhymes that have characters named Jack.
Jack and the Beanstalk Stories for Young Adults (Grades 7 & Up)
Gerrold, David. Jumping Off the Planet. (New York: Tor, 2000.)
Thirteen year-old Charles “Chigger” Dingillian and his two brothers attempt to flee their quarreling and dysfunctional parents by boarding the Beanstalk, an orbital space elevator that connects the Earth and the Moon. The book is an engaging coming of age story with a science fiction setting.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Crazy Jack. (New York: Delacorte, 1999.)
Jack’s mother is worried that her son is losing his mind when he becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about his father’s death seven years before. This fear intensifies when he believes that some sort of sky giant was involved. To prove his idea Jack obtains some magical seeds and climbs the resulting beanstalk to find the giant and his alleged riches.
Adult Versions of Jack and the Beanstalk (Also Suitable for Young Adults)
McBain, Ed. Jack and the Beanstalk. (New York: Henry Holt, 1984.)
Prolific writer Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) based his Matthew Hope mystery series on fairy and folk tales. In this one Jack McKinney hopes to revive a bankrupt snap-bean farm in Florida despite the region’s sandy, infertile soil. When the young man is murdered and robbed of $36,000, his attorney, Matthew Hope, turns amateur sleuth.
Rackham, John. Beanstalk. (New York: DAW, 1973.)
Another science-fiction story, the book’s cover states: "Behind every folktale there is a true story and behind every legend a lost fact of history, distorted by word of mouth of people who did not understand what was really happening.” Using this as a basis, Rackham creates a tale of galatic warfare between the Salviar Federation and the Hilax Combine whose history becomes blurred in the folklore of Jack and the Beanstalk.
These books, some of which are now out of print, can be found in many libraries or can be purchased through Amazon.
There have also been many Jack and the Beanstalk short stories ranging from comic to horror. A list of some of them and where they can found is at SurLaLune (scroll down).
Related Article: Origins of the Jack and the Beanstalk Story.
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