Colin Stimpson

Grades 1-5:
The illustrations carry the day here. In this depression-era retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and his mother run a diner that is put out of business when the road they are on shuts down. Jack's mother sends him out to buy coffee beans and milk with their last few pennies, but instead he trades the pennies for a can of magic baked beans. When his mother throws them out the window in anger, he awakens the next morning to a vine dripping with cans of baked beans. He's read show more the story before: he quickly climbs the beanstalk through the clouds to get to the treasure. He's forgotten about the giant, but the giant turns out to be a friendly sort and cooks him lunch, glad to have some company and a break from his never-ending counting of gold coins. When it's time for Jack to head back down the beanstalk, the giant makes an unexpected trip down with him and the whole gang lives happily ever after. The digitally-rendered illustrations are quite stunning-- the palette and design are very effective in bringing the reader into a Depression-era state of mind, and the whoe thing evokes a cinematic feel. It's no surprise that Stimpson has a background with Walt Disney.

A fun alternative to offer during traditional literature units when focusing on comparing and contrasting. show less

I loved this book! I was looking for the regular Jack and the Beanstalk book but I stumbled upon this one instead. I have to say it was really good. I enjoyed how it was intertwined into modern society. I appreciate how this book showed a family with a little café start to struggle as an overpass was built. This left the café with few customers. The family was down to the last of their money. Jack went out against his mother’s advice and bought a magical can of baked beans instead of show more what he was supposed to buy. This started the adventure, which eventually turned the café into a great success. I think this book has a place in every classroom. show less

Not your typical setting. Jack and his mother operate an old broken down burger truck in the city. It's a wonderful old vehicle and it sits right below an overpass. The illustrations are marvelous. Stimpson has had a long career in film animation, and it is surely evident in the drama and the lighting of his scenes.

This is the illustrator's first book he's written and illustrated, but I'm excited to see his other work as well. He's spent most of his career working in film animation. His show more visuals are crazy interesting and good. show less

I'll be surprised if the average ratings on this book don't go up. It's super silly, but it' should be a great read aloud. I was definitely put off by the cover, which screams out laundry detergent or toilet cleanser (the design was probably "borrowed" from Harpic), but it is pretty creative and fun, and then most of the illustrations inside the book are germ battle scenes with neutral backgrounds. Also, despite the militant and highly combative nature of the book, the language isn't all show more that offensive, in fact is pretty tame and pleasurable, with a very theatrical spin that gives for a wonderful read aloud. I enjoyed the text quite alot, and more than I relished in the illustrations. Illustrator [a:Colin Stimpson|325798|Colin Stimpson|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg] actually seems to specialize in the "gruesome" ...

So, all in all a fun read. Not terribly informative, but I did get a lot of questions from my son after our reading, about germs and the "antibods". show less