As in other versions of the old folktale, Jack gets paid in magic beans, which grow an enormous beanstalk leading to a giant's house in the sky. This Jack, though, lives in the city, wears shorts and sandals, and, in this very modern version, the giant is getting a pedicure when Jack arrives. Crews uses photographs and Adobe Photoshop to create pictures where a real child seems to climb a real beanstalk. But the elements of the finished compositions don't quite unify to sustain the illusion that Jack is tiny while the giants and their castle are huge. The story also loses some punch without the classic refrain -- this bombastic but gentle giant doesn't smell Jack's blood and he certainly doesn't want to grind Jack's bones to make his bread, so the danger to Jack seems minimal. However, Crews comes up with an interesting twist for an ending, and children may be able to better envision themselves as a brave beanstalk climber by seeing it as a photograph. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 2-4-Young Jack, a modern boy, is given colored beans as payment for doing some chores for his neighbor, Mrs. M. He plants them right away, and by noon the next day, there is a beanstalk outside his window that disappears into the clouds. Jack climbs high above the city, finds a castle, a giant, his wife, and a hen that lays golden eggs. The giant orders his wife to set Jack to doing chores. When she finally leaves him alone, he grabs the hen, climbs down the beanstalk, finds his father's saw, and cuts the huge stem until it snaps. On the ground, the giant and his wife turn into Mrs. M's brother and sister-in-law, who tell the boy that his wishes for wealth "got me and my wife stuck up in the clouds." Crews's contemporization of this familiar tale, featuring a multicultural cast, is accompanied by clear, full-page digital Adobe Photoshop-enhanced color photos. Elements of the original story-a golden harp; a pile of gold coins-are visible in the playful pictures. Images of a huge beanstalk superimposed on a brick apartment building; stylized blackbirds flying around the giant's castle; small Jack on hands and knees with large brush in hand amidst a pile of huge dirty dishes are more memorable than the retelling itself or its message.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A contemporary urban version of the ancient tale of beans and boy, with spiky parts rounded off.This Jack gets a jar of brightly colored beans for doing chores for his neighbor, and he plants them beneath his bedroom window right away. Overnight, it grows into a splendid leafy ladder up the side of his apartment building, and after checking it for sturdiness Jack climbs up until he can see the whole city ("WOW!"). Above the clouds, the scent of chocolate-chip cookies lures him to a castle, where he finds a giant admiring himself while his giant wife gives him a pedicure ("I look good. I smell good"). The giants immediately put Jack to work, and after a long day he races down the beanstalk with the golden-egg-laying hen under his arm. When he chops down the stalk, giant and wife tumble downand lo! They were under a curse, which Jack has broken, and they are just ordinary-sized folk. The images are quite keen, photographs and the occasional line drawing manipulated and layered to shape the story. Mrs. Giant has a fabulous '50s-print apron with roosters and pots, as well as lots of jewelry, and Mr. struts in boots and vest, with a red bandanna in his pocket.Crews' fans will be delighted; others will be drawn in by the nifty mix of folktale and photo-collage. (Picture book/fairy tale. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.