Jack and the beanstalk

“Jack and the Beanstalk” is the story of a young boy named Jack, who trades his family’s cow for a handful of magic beans. What happens next? A gigantic beanstalk grows, leading Jack to a land high above the clouds where he encounters a fierce giant! But with courage and quick thinking, Jack sets off on a daring quest to change his family’s fortunes.

In this article, we share two versions of the story: the full adventure and a simplified graded reader for younger English learners. Both versions help your child build their language skills, and we’ve included fun questions at the end to make sure they’re getting the most out of the story.

If your child loves a good adventure, the Studycat Learn English app offers even more stories, games, and lessons to make language learning fun and exciting.

Let’s leap up the beanstalk and see what treasures Jack finds in the giant’s world!

The story of “Jack and the beanstalk” (for kids)

Once upon a time, there was a poor boy named Jack who lived with his mother in a small cottage. They were so poor that the only thing they had left was their cow, Milky-White. One day, Jack’s mother told him they had to sell the cow to get money for food. So, off Jack went to the market, leading Milky-White along.

On the way, Jack met a strange old man who offered him something very odd—magic beans. “Plant these beans, and they will grow into something amazing,” the old man promised. Jack, being curious (and maybe a little too trusting), agreed to trade his cow for the beans.

When Jack returned home with the beans, his mother was furious! “What have you done?!” she cried. “We can’t eat beans!” In her anger, she threw the beans out of the window and sent Jack to bed without supper.

The magic begins

The next morning, Jack woke up to an incredible sight—a huge beanstalk had grown overnight, stretching all the way up into the clouds! Without even thinking twice, Jack decided to climb the beanstalk to see what was at the top.

When Jack reached the clouds, he found a strange land high above the world. And in the distance, he saw a giant castle. Feeling adventurous, Jack made his way toward the castle. As he got closer, he could feel the ground shaking with every step—this was no ordinary castle; it was the home of a giant!

Meeting the giant (and his treasures)

Jack sneaked into the giant’s castle and was amazed by the treasures he found inside. There were piles of gold coins, a magical harp that could play music all by itself, and a hen that laid golden eggs!

But just as Jack was about to grab some treasure, he heard a loud, thundering voice:

“Fee-fi-fo-fum!
I smell the blood of an Englishman!
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!”

It was the giant! Jack quickly hid, trembling as the giant stomped through the castle. The giant sat down to eat his dinner, and after a while, he fell asleep. Seizing his chance, Jack crept out of his hiding spot and stole a bag of gold coins before dashing back down the beanstalk.

Jack’s daring return

Jack and his mother were thrilled with the gold coins, but soon they ran out of money again. Jack, being the brave (and maybe a bit reckless) boy he was, decided to climb the beanstalk once more.

This time, Jack snuck into the castle and took the hen that laid golden eggs. Again, the giant roared:

“Fee-fi-fo-fum!
I smell the blood of an Englishman!”

But once more, the giant fell asleep, and Jack escaped with the hen. Back home, Jack and his mother now had plenty of golden eggs to keep them rich. But Jack couldn’t stop thinking about the giant’s other treasure—the magical harp.

The final climb

Determined to get the harp, Jack climbed the beanstalk for a third time. He tiptoed into the castle and grabbed the magical harp, but this time, the harp shouted, “Master! Master! Help, I’m being stolen!”

The giant woke up with a roar and chased Jack through the castle. Jack ran as fast as he could, carrying the harp, but the giant was close behind him. Jack raced down the beanstalk, with the giant in hot pursuit.

When Jack reached the ground, he grabbed an axe and began chopping down the beanstalk. The giant was halfway down when the beanstalk began to wobble. With one last chop, the beanstalk came crashing down, and the giant tumbled from the sky, never to be seen again.

A happy ending

With the gold coins, the golden eggs, and the magical harp, Jack and his mother were never poor again. They lived happily ever after, and Jack learned that while adventure is exciting, it’s also important to be smart about the choices you make!

The moral of “Jack and the Beanstalk”

Bravery can lead to great rewards, but it’s important to think before you act.

Jack was brave enough to climb the beanstalk and face the giant, but he also took some pretty big risks! His adventure teaches us that courage is important, but we also need to make smart decisions along the way.

Questions about “Jack and the Beanstalk”

1. What did Jack trade for the magic beans?
2. What did Jack find at the top of the beanstalk?
3. What did the giant shout when he smelled Jack?
4. What did Jack steal from the giant’s castle on his last trip?
5. How did Jack stop the giant from chasing him?

Answers

1. Jack traded his cow, Milky-White, for the magic beans.
2. Jack found a giant castle at the top of the beanstalk.
3. The giant shouted, “Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!”
4. On his last trip, Jack stole the magical harp.
5. Jack chopped down the beanstalk, and the giant fell down from the sky.

Words to learn

• Cottage: A small house, usually in the countryside. Jack and his mother lived in a cottage.
• Magic beans: Special beans that Jack planted, which grew into a huge beanstalk.
• Beanstalk: A giant plant that grows tall like a tree. Jack’s beanstalk reached into the sky.
• Castle: A large, grand building where giants (and sometimes royalty) live.
• Giant: A huge person, like the one who lived in the castle and chased Jack.
• Harp: A musical instrument with strings. Jack stole the magical harp that played by itself.
• Golden eggs: Eggs made of gold, laid by a magical hen Jack took from the giant.

”Jack and the beanstalk” for young English learners (ages 2-5, Pre-A1)

Once, there was a boy named Jack. He lived with his mother, and they were very poor.

One day, Jack traded their cow for magic beans!

Jack’s mother was angry and threw the beans outside.

But in the morning, a huge beanstalk had grown.

Jack climbed the beanstalk and found a castle in the clouds. A giant lived there!

Jack saw gold, a magic harp, and a hen that laid golden eggs.

Jack took the treasures, but the giant chased him! J

ack ran down the beanstalk and chopped it down.

The giant fell, and Jack was safe.

He lived happy forever and ever after.

Fun fact about “Jack and the beanstalk”!

Did you know? The giant in Jack and the Beanstalk is often called “Blunderbore” in older versions of the story. In some retellings, the giant even has a wife who helps him!