Jack’s zany adventures serve up a solid addition to collections of twists to traditional fairy tales.

Young readers will be able to pick out the similarities and differences in plot and characterization. While this is not the instructive and gruesome fairy tale found in the original version of Jack the Giantkiller, parents will appreciate the more subtle messages in this story. The giants make a healthy choice to eat vegetables, Jack and the giant have a relationship based on teamwork rather than intimidation, and Jack chooses to work with his situation rather than steal and kill… The full-colour illustrations are done in a style reminiscent of Quentin Blake. The giants are illustrated simply as larger humans rather than scary villains. The print is larger for beginning readers, and the publisher has included two puzzles for comprehension: one for sequencing and one to match dialogue with illustrations. Reading prompts are provided for read-alouds and shared reading experiences.