Jack and the Beanstalk

This is E. Nesbit's 1908 retelling of the well-known fairytale, newly illustrated by American artist Matt Tavares. The text is leisurely and elegant, with a few jokes adding a light touch.

The illustrations are in menacing greens and browns with skewed perspectives. The giant is satisfyingly revolting with a bulbous nose and greasy strands of hair. When he falls down the beanstalk, his vast, filthy feet stick out at the reader.

The scenes in the giant's house are the most satisfying, with interesting objects lurking in the shadows: alarming-looking skulls line the shelves and through the door is a picture of a couple holding what looks like a baby. One assumes the couple is Jack's parents before the giant killed his father and took over his land. This is an opulent retelling, to linger over and come back to.