Kate and the Beanstalk

This book is very good for audiences 3rd grade and older. It can tie in very well with folk tale lessons. It teaches students to put family first and always make it a responsibility to take care of their family.

This book is a different version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Children grades 2nd and up will enjoy reading this book that has a happy ending!

good for showing the traditional story with a female protagonist

A twist in Jake and the Beanstalk. Instead of the boy, Osborne used a girl to create this wonderful story. This book is a fun folktale for the younger ages.

This book is a spoof on Jack and the Beanstalk. Mary Pope Osborne commonly tells common fairy tales with a heroine instead of a hero. She retells this story with Kate as the protagonist as opposed to Jack. Overall the story line is the same, but the fact that a woman is the protagonist makes this a

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good book to read to children--they can see that men aren't always the ones who have fun adventures.

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Kate and the Beanstalk is a creative and fresh retelling of the traditional Jack and the Beanstalk and is based on Andrew Lang's work from "The Read Fairy Book," published in 1890. Kate and her mother are impoverished with nothing to eat, and it seems that their only salvation is to sell their cow.

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However, Kate encounters a beggar and trades the family cow for a bag of "magic beans." Thinking they were extraordinary, she completes the transaction without thinking and rushes home to her mother - to her surprise her mother becomes highly upset and disappointed, and her mother tosses the beans out the window.

To Kate's surprise, she discovers later that night that the beans have grown into a stalk that reaches the skies. Out of curiosity she climbs and climbs the beanstalk until she reaches the top and finds a beautiful countryside with a mighty castle overlooking the land. Kate meets an old woman from whom she learns that the castle and its treasures - a hen that lays golden eggs, a bag filled with coins, and a magical harp - were all stolen from a noble knight and his fair wife by a monstrous giant. The giant has killed the knight, and fortunately the wife and their baby were in the valley. However, the widow was afraid to return home and remained below to raise her child. The old woman suggests that Kate is could be the hero to return the castle and treasure to its rightful owners.

Kate accomplishes the daunting task of retrieving each treasure, climbing down the stalk to hide them in the bush, and outwitting the giant and his wife by wearing disguises. However, Kate is almost caught when she gets the magic harp - the giant wakes up, chases Kate, and in the nick of time she is able to get down from the stalk and chop it down, bringing the giant to his death.

Kate's mother recognizes the giant as the one who killed her father, and the Queen of the Fairies arrives to reveal that she had disguised herself as the old woman near the castle to test Kate and see if Kate could avenge her father's death. The Queen of the Fairies takes Kate and her Mother to the castle, and they reclaim the home and riches that is rightly theirs.

This heroine story effectively conveys the message that risk and reward exists with every choice - the magic beans are initially disappointing, yet lead Kate and her mother to their rightful home and property. The tale also suggests that with confidence, quick thinking, and action, one can overcome the biggest of challenges.

The illustrations are rendered in pencil, ink, gouache, gesso, and watercolor bringing rich color and texture to the characters and setting. The illustrations closely follow the plot and action, and the creative text placement, i.e., "Down and down and down..." is placed alongside the beanstalk drawing to convey Kate going down the stalk is a great signal for the reader to read with anticipation as Kate makes her escape.

Engaging book to read aloud for children ages 5-9, and great to read along with the original Jack and the Beanstalk for an interesting class discussion.

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This is a rework of Jack in the beanstalk. Kate in the beanstalk is very similar but it also has a twist to the story. This is a great book to read to students to see the difference in fairytales. Plus this is just a great book to read to your students

This is a version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Instead of a boy being the main character it is a girl named Kate. Kate is smart and resourceful in tricking the giant. She is clever female hero in this well illustrated story.

I liked this book for three reasons. I like how it was similar but different from Jack and the Beanstalk. It is similar because Kate meets and beggar and exchanges the cow for magic beans. It is also similar because each time Kate climbs the beanstalk, she has to hide from the giant and then steals

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his things. It is different because there is a fairy who tells Kate the story of the giant who killed the knight and left the knight’s wife and daughter poor and hungry. It is also different because Kate helps the giant’s wife prepare him food. I also like this book because it allows females to be heroes as well. Finally, I like that the illustrations follow the words of the book. For example, when the author says that Kate climbs up, up, up the beanstalk, the words also climb up the beanstalk.

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Saw this picture book displayed in the library and couldn't resist. This version of the classic makes a lot more sense than the basic traditional version!

A girl climbs to the top of a giant beanstalk, where she uses her quick wits to outsmart a giant and make her and her mother's fortune.