"Who is the real giant in this wordless
story inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk?"
Following up on the first two books in this color series, Red (2018) and Gold (2022), Jed Alexander uses a gorgeous soft green to tell the story of a plucky young girl and her adventures in the sky.
Her home sits in a field of green, surrounded by flowers and garden beds. A bird with a small green seed in its mouth, flies above the title on said page and dramatically drops it in the flower bed. The next double-page spread shows the growth of that tiny seed into far-reaching roots and a budding plant. Readers can see the immensity of the tree trunk before the page is turned.
A small girl, dressed in signature green shirt, emerges from the house, looks up; a turn of the book to vertical shows the enormity of the tree. Next images show the child climbing higher and ever-higher, until above her stands a giant in green shorts and t-shirt. Their eyes meet, the child is held carefully by huge hands, and carried from the giant's garden to be placed inside a plate that holds her meal.
As the giant eats, the child sits and watches until encouraged to try a bite. Once her hunger is sated, the two are off on a day of wild adventure. To keep the child from danger, the giant ties her to her with a long strand of hair. This allows all manner of movement for the two of them. As happens, exhaustion kicks in; the child is tucked under a leaf for the night. Morning sunshine brings a return home for the child, and a warm hello to a tiny mouse found in the flowers there.
What an incredible perspective change!
Kids who know the Jack and the Beanstalk story will recognize some similarities and be able to talk about them. They will also be inspired to ponder the concept of giant. Who is the real one in this sensational book? Bravo, Jed Alexander ... you have done it again!
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