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 house. They didn’t have much. 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, Jack met an old man who offered five magic beans for the cow. Jack thought the beans were valuable, so he agreed and took them home. When Jack’s mother saw the beans, she was very angry. "You traded our cow for beans?" she shouted, and threw the beans out the window. Jack went to bed hungry and upset. The next morning, Jack woke up and couldn’t believe his eyes! The beans had grown into a giant beanstalk that reached up to the sky. Jack decided to climb it to see what was at the top. Jack climbed higher and found a huge castle. He knocked on the door, and a giant woman opened it. She was kind and warned Jack that her husband, the giant, was very mean. But Jack was brave and sneaked inside. Soon, the giant came home and roared, "Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!" Jack stayed hidden. The giant ate a big meal and then went to sleep. While the giant slept, Jack saw a bag of gold coins. He quietly took it and climbed down the beanstalk. Jack’s mother was surprised to see the gold. "Where did this come from?" she asked. Jack told her about the giant and the castle. They were very happy. But Jack wasn’t done. The next day, he climbed the beanstalk again. He snuck into the castle and took a golden goose that laid golden eggs. Then he hurried back down. The third time Jack climbed, he saw a magical harp that played beautiful music. He took the harp, but this time, the giant woke up! The giant chased Jack down the beanstalk, shouting, "Fee-fi-fo-fum!" But Jack was fast. When Jack reached the bottom, he quickly grabbed an axe and chopped down the beanstalk. The giant fell down, and Jack and his mother were safe. With the gold coins, the golden goose, and the magical harp, Jack and his mother became rich and lived happily ever after.