Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and his poor mother had only one cow, Milky-white, for milk to sell.One day the cow gave no milk at all, so Jack’s mother told him to take her to market and sell her.On the road, Jack met a strange old man who asked him a riddle about beans, then offered five magic beans for the cow, promising they would grow all the way to the sky.

Jack traded the cow for the beans and hurried proudly home.His mother was furious, called him a fool, threw the beans out the window, and sent him to bed without supper.When Jack woke the next morning, a huge beanstalk had grown right up into the clouds outside his window.

Jack climbed and climbed until he reached a long road leading to a giant’s house.The giant’s wife took pity on hungry Jack and gave him breakfast, warning that her husband loved nothing better than boys broiled on toast.Suddenly the ground shook, and the giant thundered in, roaring “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!”

The wife hid Jack inside the oven, and after breakfast the giant counted his bags of gold until he fell asleep.Jack crept out, grabbed a bag of gold, and scrambled back down the beanstalk to his amazed mother.When the gold ran out, Jack climbed the beanstalk again and stole a hen that laid eggs of solid gold.

Still not satisfied, Jack climbed a third time and stole a magic golden harp that could sing and talk all by itself.But the harp cried out “Master, master!” as Jack ran, and the giant woke and chased him down the beanstalk.Jack reached the ground first, grabbed an axe, and chopped the beanstalk down just as the giant was climbing after him.

The giant came crashing down with the beanstalk and was never seen again.Jack and his mother sold the golden eggs, kept the singing harp, and lived happily and comfortably for the rest of their days.