Jack and the Beanstalk

This picture book version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' is a straight-forward retelling which contains enough elements of conventional fairy-tale language to satisfy, while remaining easy to read aloud. What makes this version stand out from other retellings are the exceptional illustrations with their unusual perspectives. We look down the beanstalk to see Jack's face and the cottage far below, or out of the oven through Jack's eyes at a curiously distorted view of the giant in his kitchen amidst his IKEA-style spindly candlesticks! This book is from a new series of 'Classic Fairy Tales' retold and illustrated in the main by well-known authors and illustrators. The other titles in the series are also worth looking out for, although by no means as well illustrated as this one.