One sunny morning, Jack woke up sad. His mom said they had no food left. "We must sell our cow," said Mom. "Go to town and get the best price." Jack pat the cow's soft head. She was their only cow, but they needed food. On the way to town, Jack met a funny old man. "Hello boy," said the man. "Want to trade your cow for these magic beans?" The man held out five small beans that sparkled in the sun.
Jack looked at the sparkling beans. They were so pretty! He felt in his heart they were special. "Yes, I will trade," said Jack. He gave the man his cow and took the magic beans. They felt warm in his hand. When Jack got home, his mom was very mad. "Beans? We need food, not beans!" She threw them out the window. Jack went to bed with no food that night. He felt bad about the trade. But in the morning, Jack saw something amazing! A giant green plant grew up into the sky. It was taller than their house! The beanstalk went up through the clouds. Jack could not see the top.
Jack looked up at the tall beanstalk. It was like a big green ladder going into the sky. "I will climb it," he said to himself. "Maybe there is food up there." Jack put his hands on the thick green stem. It felt strong. He began to climb. Up and up he went. The ground got far away. Soon he was in the clouds! His arms felt tired, but he kept going. The clouds were wet and cold. Then Jack saw something amazing! Above the clouds was a new land. There was a big road made of gold bricks. At the end of the road was the biggest house Jack had ever seen. It was as big as a mountain! "Someone very big must live here," Jack said softly. He saw smoke coming from a giant chimney. The smell of fresh bread made his tummy growl.
Jack walked around the huge house. Each step was like walking a whole street! He saw a big garden with giant vegetables. There were carrots as tall as trees and cabbages bigger than his house! Behind the garden, Jack found a small door. Well, small for a giant's house - it was still as big as his front door at home. The door was open a tiny bit. Warm cooking smells came out. Jack's tummy growled again. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. He peeked inside. The kitchen was empty, but there was fresh bread cooling on a giant table. The table was too high to reach. But Jack saw a thick tablecloth hanging down like a rope.
Jack grabbed the thick tablecloth and started to climb. It was like climbing another beanstalk! When he got to the top, his eyes got big. The table was full of food! Each loaf of bread was as big as a wagon. Just as Jack broke off a piece of warm bread, he heard BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The whole house shook. Someone was coming! "Fee Fi Fo Fum!" said a deep voice. "I smell a small human one!" Jack looked around fast. He needed to hide! He saw three places he could go: - Behind the giant salt shaker - Under an empty bowl - Inside the bread basket
Jack jumped into the bread basket just as a huge giant walked into the kitchen! The giant had a long flowing beard and wore a big wool shirt. The basket was warm and smelled like fresh bread. Jack tried to stay very still. The giant sat at the table with a big THUMP that made everything shake. He picked up a loaf of bread and started to eat. Then the giant reached for the bread basket! Jack's heart beat fast as the basket moved. The giant lifted it up to get more bread. But wait! The giant stopped. He put down the basket and said, "Where did I put my magic harp?" The giant got up and left the kitchen. His footsteps made the whole house shake. Jack peeked out of the basket. On a high shelf, he saw something shining. It was a beautiful golden harp! Next to it was a hen sleeping in a golden nest. Every few seconds, the hen would move and a golden egg would appear!
Jack looked at the golden hen. If he could bring her home, his mom would never be hungry again! He climbed down from the bread basket and looked for a way up to the shelf. There was a tall wooden spoon leaning against the wall. Jack pushed the spoon until it rested against the shelf. Then he climbed up carefully. The hen was fast asleep. She was warm and soft when Jack picked her up. She made a quiet "cluck" but didn't wake up. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The giant was coming back! Jack held the hen tight and slid down the wooden spoon. "My magic harp must be somewhere else," the giant said, walking into the kitchen. Jack ran behind a giant potato on the floor. The hen started to wake up! "Bawk?" said the hen, getting louder. The giant turned his head. "What was that?"
Jack quickly broke off tiny pieces of bread from the floor and fed them to the hen. She pecked at them happily and stayed quiet. The giant looked around the kitchen but didn't see Jack. He walked to the shelf and grabbed his magic harp. "Ah! Here it is!" the giant said. He sat in his big chair and put the harp on the table. "Play me a song," the giant told the harp. The golden harp came alive! It played the sweetest music Jack had ever heard. The giant's eyes got heavy. Soon, the giant was fast asleep. His loud snores shook the dishes on the table. Jack held the hen close. This was his chance to escape! But the beautiful harp was right there on the table.
Jack knew he had to be very careful. With the hen tucked under one arm, he climbed back up the tablecloth. The giant was snoring so loud the cups rattled. Jack tiptoed across the huge table to the magic harp. "Hello," whispered the harp in a tiny voice. Jack jumped! "Shhh!" he said. "Please be quiet. I want to take you home to help my mom." The harp looked at Jack with kind eyes. "I will be quiet," it said softly. Jack picked up the harp with his free hand. It was heavy, but he could carry it. He walked to the edge of the table. Getting down would be hard with both hands full! The tablecloth was too far to reach now. But there was a stack of giant books nearby that looked like stairs. SNORT! The giant moved in his sleep!
Jack moved carefully toward the stack of books. Each one was as big as a boat! The hen clucked softly as Jack stepped onto the first book. The giant shifted in his chair but kept snoring. Step by step, Jack went down the book stairs. The harp stayed quiet, just like it promised. When Jack reached the floor, he heard a terrible sound. The hen was starting to make noise! "BAWK! BAWK!" she cried, flapping her wings. The giant's eyes flew open! "What? Who's there?" "FEE FI FO FUM!" roared the giant, jumping up from his chair. "A thief! A thief!" Jack ran as fast as he could toward the door. The giant's footsteps shook the whole house like thunder! "Come back with my hen and harp!" yelled the giant. Jack made it outside, but now he had to get to the beanstalk! The giant was right behind him!
Jack ran across the golden brick road, his heart pounding. The hen was squawking and the harp was holding tight to his arm. The giant's footsteps got closer and closer! But Jack saw the beanstalk ahead. With the last of his strength, Jack climbed onto the beanstalk. The giant was so close he could feel his hot breath! Down, down, down Jack went. The hen held tight to his shirt, and the harp helped by wrapping its strings around his arm. "Mother!" Jack yelled. "Bring the axe!" Jack's mother ran out with their axe. When she saw the giant climbing down after Jack, she knew what to do. CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! The beanstalk began to sway. Jack jumped the last few feet to the ground just as the giant reached the clouds. With one final CHOP, the beanstalk fell. It crashed down with a mighty BOOM! The giant was never seen again. The magic hen laid golden eggs every day, and the harp played sweet music while Jack and his mother worked. They were never hungry again, and their house was always filled with beautiful songs. Jack often looked at the sky and smiled, remembering his big adventure above the clouds. The End.
