Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child

Drawing from African, Asian and European folklore “Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child: A Worldwide Jack and the Beanstalk Story” retells the classic fairy tale in a single narrative through multiple world cultures.

The story of a child confronting a man-eating giant or witch is told the world over. These heroes go by many names and might be normal in size or no bigger than a thumb. Though they're often scorned for being the youngest and smallest, they're well-armed with cleverness and courage.

Award-winner Paul Fleischman and illustrator Julie Paschkis combine elements of this story from different traditions-“Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Tom Thumb”, “Kihuo”, “Vasilisa”-to create one narrative, one complete picture of a small boy's triumph.