Elementary Library

Jack and the Beanstalk

Once upon a time, there was a poor boy named Jack who lived with his mother in a small cottage. They didn’t have much, and they were very poor. One day, their cow stopped giving milk, so Jack’s mother told him to take the cow to the market and sell it. On his way to the market, Jack met an old man who offered to trade five magic beans for the cow. Jack, thinking the beans were worth more, agreed to the trade and took the beans back home. When Jack’s mother saw the beans, she was very angry. "You traded our cow for beans?" she shouted. In a fit of rage, she threw the beans out the window. Jack went to bed hungry and upset. The next morning, when Jack woke up, he couldn’t believe his eyes! Overnight, the beans had grown into a giant beanstalk that reached all the way up to the sky. Jack decided to climb the beanstalk and see what was at the top. Jack climbed higher and higher, and when he finally reached the top, he found a huge castle. He knocked on the door, and a giant woman opened it. She was kind and told Jack to be careful because her husband, the giant, was very mean. But Jack was brave, and he sneaked inside. Soon, the giant came home, and Jack hid. The giant roared, "Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!" But Jack stayed hidden, and the giant didn’t see him. The giant ate a big meal, then went to sleep. While the giant was sleeping, Jack saw a bag of gold coins. He quietly grabbed the bag and climbed down the beanstalk to his house. Jack’s mother was very surprised to see the gold. "Where did this come from?" she asked. Jack told her about the giant and the castle at the top of the beanstalk. They were very happy to have the gold. But Jack wasn’t done yet. The next day, he climbed the beanstalk again. This time, he snuck into the castle and took a golden goose that laid golden eggs. The giant didn’t see him, and Jack hurried back down the beanstalk.