Jack and the Beanstalk: An Interactive Fairy Tale Adventure

By Blake Hoena and Amit Tayal

Admit it—you've always wanted to know: WHAT was Jack thinking? Magic beans? Come on! Get into Jack's head—and the mother's, and the giant's!—as You Choose your path through three new versions of the famous fairy tale, with delightful (or disastrous!) consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491478813

Blake Hoena

Blake A. Hoena grew up in central Wisconsin, where he wrote stories about robots conquering the moon and trolls lumbering around the woods behind his parents house. He now lives in Minnesota and enjoys writing about fun things like history, space aliens, and superheroes. Blake has written more than fifty chapter books and dozens of graphic novels for children.

Book preview

Jack and the Beanstalk, an interactive fairy tale adventure, by Blake Hoena and illustrated by Amit TayalJack and the Beanstalk, an interactive fairy tale adventure, by Blake Hoena and illustrated by Amit Tayal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

About Your Adventure

Chapter 1: A HANDFUL OF MAGIC

Chapter 2: A GIANT’S POINT OF VIEW

Chapter 3: KEEP REACHING FOR THE STARS

Chapter 4: THE JACKS TEAM UP

Chapter 5: THE MANY JACKS

Critical Thinking Using the Common Core

Read More

Internet Sites

Copyright

Back Cover

For the best You Choose experience,

view in portrait (vertical) orientation.

ABOUT YOUR ADVENTURE

Rip! You turn to see the ground tearing open and a huge vine sprouting out of nowhere, reaching up for the sky. What on Earth? Of course there’s only one thing to do—climb it and see where it takes you.

picture

Chapter One sets the scene. Then you choose which path to read. Follow the links at the bottom of each page as you read the stories. The decisions you make will change your outcome. After you finish one path, go back and read the others for new perspectives and more adventures. Use your device's back buttons or page navigation to jump back to your last choice.

Follow Jack’s magical beanstalk to take this traditional tale to new heights… if you don’t fall to your doom!

CHAPTER 1

A HANDFUL OF MAGIC

What’s taking so long? Jack’s mom yells.

Jack stares into the empty milking bucket and shakes his head. Ma’s not gonna like this, he mumbles, so that Milky White can’t hear.

MOOOOO! she bellows as if she did hear.

It’ll be OK, Milky, Jack says, patting the cow’s scrawny side. But he’s not sure it will be. Milky hasn’t produced a drop of milk in days.

picture

Not wanting to face his mother, Jack drags his feet as he heads toward the house. When he gets there, his mother peers into the empty bucket. She lets loose a loud sigh.

Selling milk was our only source of income, she cries. How will we survive? Jack’s stomach grumbles in response. Neither of them have had much to eat lately, other than some watery soup.

I guess there is only one thing to do, Ma says. She looks to Milky White out in the pasture. MOO! the cow bellows again, knowing something unpleasant is about to happen. Since Milky is done giving milk, it’s time to sell her.

Tears well up in Jack’s eyes. Do we have to? he asks. I’ll take care of her.

We can’t afford to keep an old, dried-up cow, his mother replies sternly. Take her to market. Trade her for something else we can use to earn money. Perhaps some chickens or a sheep.

Head down, Jack walks over to Milky and ties a rope to her halter. Let’s go, ol’ girl. Then they begin the long, winding trek into town.

He rounds a bend and hears a loud Psssst! A man in a fancy hat stands alongside the road, motioning Jack over to him. Good morning, the man says.

Morning, sir, Jack replies.

Where are you off to, lad? the man asks.

To market to sell our cow, Jack sniffs.

You won’t get much for a scrawny thing like her, the man says. How about we make a trade instead?

What kind of trade? Jack asks.

The man reaches into his pocket. Why, for a handful of these. You’ll never be hungry again…

If the man offers Jack magic beans, press here.

If the man offers Jack magic nuts and bolts, press here.

If the man offers Jack magic jacks, press here.

CHAPTER 2

A

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was about a giant and a beanstalk too. I thought about me climbing up a beanstalk and seeing a giant. From now on, I'm never going to climb up a beanstalk. (review by Sean, age 5)

[larrellharris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary:This book is about a boy name Jack that sells his family's cow for magic beans, his mother is anything but pleased. Soon, however, the beans sprout into a towering beanstalk. it leads to a castle filled with gold and other treasures. Jack's family will be rich, if he can sneak past the man - eating giant.Personal Reaction:My personal reaction to this story is that there is a price to pay for anything that you may want in life,like jack and the beanstalk,he had to sneak past the giant to get to the castle that was filled with gold.Classroom Extension:I would teach the class to never give up nomatter what happens and to learn to sacrifice for the better thing in life that they may want.

[sarahclick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary:This is a classic fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk but written as a graphic novel. Their family cow stops producing milk so Jack must sell the cow for money but instead sells them for magic beans. His mother is furious and sends him to get their cow back but the beanstalk has grown all the way to the sky. Jack climbs it and sees a castle so he asks for food. There is a giants wife and she agrees to feed him and when the giant falls asleep he steals some gold, a magic chicken, and a magic harp. Jack then cuts the beanstalk down so the giant cant find him and they live happily ever after.Personal Reaction:I really liked this version of the fairy tale. It made it very interesting with the pictures and set up like a comic book. I think this would grab the attention of all children.Classroom Extension Ideas:1. Use the writing prompts and discussion questions at the end of the book.2. Ask what the children would do if they had a magical beanstalk and what they would hope to find.

[goydaeh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent series with absolutely gorgeous, usually stylized artwork. Each title includes a glossary, history of the tale in question, and discussion questions, making them as valuable educationally as they are recreationally. I highly recommend them for anyone with children interested in fairy tales.

[rubyp_53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fairytale is about a boy named Jack and the day Jack sells his family's cow for magic beans. His mother is anything but pleased. The beans then go on to sprout into a towering beanstalk. It leads in to a castle filled with gold and other treasures. Jack's family will be rich, if he can sneak past the man-eating giant. Here comes the famous, "FEE FIE FOH FUM! I smell the blood of an Englishman!" This book is comic book size. I thought the graphic visual format of this story was exciting. The illustrations are simple and leave enough space for the reader imagination to take over as well.