#229 of 1001 · March 17, 2021

At the midpoint of Jack and the Beanstalk Week, I’ve landed on a strikingly literary adaptation by E. Nesbit, illustrated by @tavaresbooks. Nesbit’s tale, written in 1908, delights with whimsical asides detailing Jack’s fickle train of thought, his relationship with his mother, and his exploits atop the beanstalk. Tavares, working nearly a century later, has taken a compelling approach to the visual side of the story, framing the action and emotional beats with cinematic flair. His pencil-and-watercolor illustrations sharply delineate between the two spatial planes of the story: the mundane world’s golden wheat fields are bathed in warm, saturated tones, while the barren, blighted road of the giant’s country—studded with bleached bones and withered trees—is permeated by deathly pale grays and browns. A note for folklore enthusiasts: Nesbit includes the (arguably unnecessary) motif of the fairy who reveals that the giant’s treasures are actually Jack’s stolen birthright. #jack #beanstalk #jackandthebeanstalk #giant #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks