A sprightly retelling of the traditional tale, including an unaltered version of the " Fee-fi-fo-fum. . . " refrain. A wide-eyed, innocent Jack becomes more wily in the illustrations as well as in the text as he progresses from a young boy trading a cow for magic beans to a clever rogue who can outwit an ogre. Here, he makes three trips before the requisite happily-ever-after ending--one for gold, one for the hen, and lastly for the golden harp that sings. The ogre is fierce but not frightening. He first appears on the first verso in tears, presumably after being tricked by Jack on one occasion. The cartoonlike illustrations are full of action and the characters are expressive. Endpapers are filled with a lush beanstalk motif to help set the mood.

Gennady Spirin's breathtaking illustrations for this retelling are so engrossing that readers may notice the fluidity of the text almost as an afterthought. His watercolor and tempera paintings have a hazy yet magisterially detailed look that seems to jump straight out of fairyland. The style in places suggest the earthy qualities and village scenes of Brueghel, but Spirin maintains his characteristic delicacy of line. Lavish borders offer careful still lives of rich cheeses, crusty breads and roasted meats or show tidy curving vines of bean plants. In full-scale illustrations, Spirin emphasizes the giant's monstrous physicalityAhis bulbous nose and profusely curling whiskers make him seem grossly sensual and quite capable of eating Jack alive. Beneduce models the text on an 1881 version that gives Jack motivation for tormenting the giant: he is avenging his father's death.