The giant had a magical harp that could play beautiful songs. While the giant slept, Jack took the harp and was about to leave. Suddenly, the magic harp cried, “Help master! ” The giant woke up and saw Jack with the harp. He ran down the beanstalk and reached home.

There are thirteen simple black-and-white images to supplement the storyline. Even more interesting is the curious persistence of these stories, first told and then written for an audience of children, throughout almost the entirety of recorded human history in Europe. Proto-Indo-European, the great-grandfather of nearly all languages native to the European continent (the oldest for which there is a historical record) was considered to be as far back as a story could be traced by the study.

Some of the books on this site may contain characterizations or illustrations that are culturally insensitive or inaccurate. We encourage educators to visit the Association for Library Service to Children’s resource guide for talking to children about issues of race and culture in literature. They also have a guide for navigating tough conversations.

• “All right, mother,” said Jack, “it’s market-day today.  I’ll go into town and sell Bessy.”
• When the giant came home, his wife brought him his magic harp.
• Jack flirts with Cosman employee Polly, but he is thwarted by the arrival of her boyfriend, a towering police officer.
• When his mother heard the harp play, she laughed and hugged Jack tightly.

Storytime Anytime with the Twin Sisters® is a kids podcast brought to you by Twin Sisters Digital Media and Evergreen Podcasts. Music, story time and learning go “hand-in-hand” as kids explore fun topics like dinosaurs, sharks, animals, and more. Hasanthi is a seasoned content writer and editor with over 8 years of experience.

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And Jack, his mother, Old Bessie, the chicken and the harp lived happy ever after. Jack worked out the courage to peek out from the copper pot just as the giant was returning to the kitchen with a large basket of golden eggs and a sickly looking hen. The giant poked the hen and said, “Lay” and the hen laid a new golden egg and the giant added to the basket. The Ogre returned to the castle in the evening, whereupon Jack hid in a copper pot. The Ogre called his wife, this time, he asked her to bring him his golden hen. The wife brought him the hen and placed it on the table.

He quickly ran to his window and opened the curtains of his windows, when he did he was very surprised. Jack hurriedly dressed himself up and ran out into his garden. The first known printed version of “Jack and the Beanstalk” dates from 1734 and was called “The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean”. Of the numerous variants of the tale printed in the 19th century, the one by Joseph Jacobs (1890) is the most popular (read it here). In some versions of the tale, the giant is unnamed, but many plays based on it name him Blunderbore.

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Jack’s decision to climb the beanstalk is another example of taking the opportunities the life provides you. When he starts climbing, he doesn’t know where that path will lead him or if that path will lead somewhere at all. He knows that he may face danger, but he has no idea what that danger might be.

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As quick as a flash, Jack grabbed the coins, ran out of the house, and climbed down the beanstalk. Jack used the money from selling the golden eggs to buy back Old Bess, purchase seed for the spring crop and to fix up his mother’s farm. He even had enough left over to invite every one of
his neighbours thai hi lo game over for a nice meal, complete with music from the singing harp. By gaining the ogre’s golden harp and hen that lays golden eggs, Jack and his mother are able to live happily ever after… Then the giant sat down, and when he had eaten half an ox, he told his wife to bring his money-bags to him.