Friday, January 12, 2018

Margo's Musings: It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk!

When we walked into the Ashpot Library my little sister, Margo, was immediately drawn to the cover of It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk. I thought the cover looked great too. I'm a big fan of fairy tales (and not simply the Disney ones, but the real fairy tales), so I was excited to get reading.

This book is a twist on the traditional version of Jack and the Beanstalk that most people are familiar with, which is what makes it such a blast. While the reader is being told the story by the narrator, Jack comments with his thoughts on what is happening. Some of the classic elements are included, but the reader can expect a different ending. 


Margo loved this book because she thought it was funny. I totally agree! Jack’s comments made me laugh, and they put a hilarious spin on the story. Edwardian Taylor's bright illustrations really pop off the page. All of the colors and details give the reader a lot to look at, this was especially interesting when we read the book a second time.


The book even inspired us to do some planting. Although the ground is frozen, and we can’t grow anything outside right now, we did plant some bean seeds we bought at the store. They are on the windowsill in the kitchen, and Margo has made sure to use all kinds of magical phrases to help them grow. Of course, she used the spells from the book on our beans! While I don’t think we'll grow a magic beanstalk since they were regular seeds, it will be fascinating to see what happens. I'm guessing there will be more readings of this book in the future!

Has anyone else read It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk? Or have you read another book by Josh Funk? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
~ F

56 comments:

  1. Sounds like a fun read. Have fun with your beanstalk. Hugs, Valerie

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  2. The book came with seeds? Nice addition.

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    1. Alex- We had the seeds at home- but the book planted the idea. :) ~F

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  3. Inspiring many to plant, sure can't go wrong with that. The illustrations look fun indeed.

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  4. How lovely. Left in my care its not guaranteed any seeds would grow into so much as a seedling even with some magical spells to help them along but I'm sure I'd enjoy the book.

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    1. Tracy- I can understand the seed problems! I am sure you'd enjoy the book too! :) ~F

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    1. L. Diane Wolfe- They really are fantastic! :) ~F

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  6. I have not read this but I know kids will love it.

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  7. It looks like such a cute book! Love the illustrations!

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  8. Those are some fun illustrations. I'd be attracted to that book, too, and want to open it up and see what's inside!

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    1. Sherry- Now you've had a sneak peek! A fun book and great illustrations. :) ~F

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  9. This looks and sounds excellent and I love that it came with seeds.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Jan- It's a great read and inspired us to have some fun with seeds we had around the house. A book with seeds would be fun! :) ~F

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  10. I haven't read it but I bet my grandson would like this.

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  11. It sounds like a heap of fun. And hooray for growing things. Ideas and/or plants.

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  12. It's so exciting when a book can appeal to a reader so much she wants to plant seeds too. Now, that's why we write. Thanks for telling us about this fascinating story. I'm not familiar with this author.

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    1. Beverly- So happy to introduce you to the author, Josh Funk. He is a really nice guy and posts a lot on Twitter. :) ~F

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  13. I love a good twist on an old classic. Nice one and here's to the seeds.

    Gary

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    1. Gary- I like twists on classics too. :) ~F

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  14. I haven't heard of this one. Thanks for spreading the word.

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    1. Lee- You are welcome! It is a fun one. :) ~F

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  15. such lovely cover and illustrations!

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  16. How lovely. Whilst I can't guarantee any seeds would make it even with the help of some magical phrases, I'm sure I'd enjoy this book.

    With its non-stereotypical characters this is exactly the kind of book that was hugely popular at the last school I worked in.

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    1. Tracy- It is a lovely and funny book (even without deciding to plant seeds). I think you would enjoy this one too and so will kids everywhere. :) ~F

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  17. Love the illustrations! And I always love when the main character has comments that add humour to the narrative - thanks for the tip! :)

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    1. Jemi- It is a book that will entertain kids! They will love the humor and the comments. :) ~F

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  18. So fun! I love the illustrations too! Big Hugs!

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  19. Eee, this book looks SO CUTE :D Love the illustrations. Glad you guys liked it a lot. <3 Thank you for sharing :)

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    1. Carina- You are welcome! It is definitely cute! :) ~F

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  20. Sounds like a super-fun book! Good luck with the seeds! :)

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    1. Dawn- I thought it was very fun. Thanks for the good luck. :) ~F

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  21. I'm a huge fan of fairytales! The Disney ones and also the actual ones ;) I am glad your daughter could enjoy the spin on this story, and I am glad it doesn't only stick to narrative but includes his thoughts as well!

    My recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/01/solitude-the-change-of-heart-book-review/

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    1. Olivia- If you are a big fan of all fairy tales then you will enjoy this one for sure. :) ~F

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  22. I absolutely love the art style! It's so cute. :)

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  23. Oh that looks really cute! I love fairytales and retellings, too :)

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    1. Anna- It is a cute and fun story. You will enjoy it if you get to read it. :) ~F

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  24. That illustrator's first name is amazing.
    I love the illustration's and the change in the story. Very cute. Surprised I've never seen this before.

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    1. Adriana- I bet now you will see it around! The illustrator's name caught my attention too. :) ~F

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  25. I read Josh Funk's "Dear Dragon" some time ago and it was adorable. Looking forward to reading this one, too!

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    1. Claudine- I will have to check out Dead Dragon. I haven't heard of it before. Thanks for putting it on my radar. :)

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