Jack and the Beanstalk - Tapa dura

Ian Beck has replaced Kate Greenaway in giving us the most idyllic images of childhood. (Amanda Craig, Independent on Sunday )

About Chicken Licken and The Tortoise and the Hare: Beautifully presented editions in which lively text and colourful images sit happily together (West Sussex Gazette )

About The Gingerbread Boy and Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Clearly and amusingly retold, the stories are enhanced by Ian Beck's cheerful illustrations. (Daily Echo )

Jack and his mother are very poor and with heavy hearts decide to sell their cow, Daisy. But on his way to market Jack meets a strange old man who takes Daisy in exchange for five magic beans. His mother is horrified! Under the full moon, Jack plants his beans, and the next morning he sees an enormous beanstalk. Full of curiosity, he climbs up and discovers a huge castle. He sneaks in unseen and realizes the castle belongs to a giant. By the table in the vast room is a magic goose that unwillingly lays golden eggs for her master and is desperate to be set free. Jack must find a way to capture the goose but the giant is terrifying and has already sensed him in the room - fee, fi, fo, fum! Will he escape? This lively retelling has a truly classic feel, incorporating everyone's favourite details.