Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jack who lived with his mother. They were very poor. So poor that one day, his mother said, "Jack, we have nothing left. You must take our cow to market and sell her."

On the way to market, Jack met a strange old man. "Where are you going with that fine cow?" asked the man.

"To market, to sell her," said Jack.

"I'll trade you something better than money," said the man, and he held out his hand. In it were five beans, each one a different color. "These are magic beans. Plant them tonight, and by morning you'll see something wonderful."

Now, Jack should have known better. But the beans were so beautiful, and the old man's eyes were so bright, that Jack made the trade.

When his mother saw the beans, she was furious. "Beans? You traded our cow for BEANS?" She threw them out the window, and they both went to bed without supper.

But when Jack woke the next morning and looked out the window, he could hardly believe his eyes. A beanstalk had grown in the night — a beanstalk so enormous that its top disappeared into the clouds.

Jack began to climb. He climbed and climbed and climbed, past the birds, past the clouds, until at last he reached the very top. And there, above the clouds, was a land he had never seen before. A road led to an enormous castle.

Jack knocked on the castle door, and a giant woman answered. She was big but not unkind. "You'd better come in quickly," she said, "before my husband gets home. He's not fond of visitors."

She gave Jack some bread and milk. But before he could finish eating, the whole castle began to shake. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

"That's him!" whispered the woman. "Quick — hide in the oven!"

Jack squeezed inside the oven just as the giant stomped into the kitchen. He was as tall as a tree, with hands like shovels.

"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!"

"Nonsense," said his wife. "You're smelling the sausages I cooked for your supper." The giant grumbled but sat down to eat.

After supper, the giant took out bags and bags of gold coins and began counting them. But soon enough, his head began to nod, and he fell fast asleep, snoring like thunder.

Jack crept out of the oven, grabbed a bag of gold, and ran. He scrambled down the beanstalk as fast as he could and brought the gold to his mother. They lived well for a time.

But eventually the gold ran out, and Jack climbed the beanstalk again. This time, he crept into the castle and hid in a cupboard. After supper, the giant brought out a hen and said, "Lay!" And the hen laid an egg of solid gold.

When the giant fell asleep, Jack grabbed the hen and ran for the beanstalk.

Now, Jack should have stopped there. But he didn't. He climbed the beanstalk one more time. This time he found a golden harp that played the most beautiful music all by itself.

He grabbed the harp, but it cried out, "Master! Master!" The giant woke with a roar and chased Jack across the clouds.

Jack slid down the beanstalk faster than he had ever moved in his life. He could feel the beanstalk shaking as the giant climbed down after him.

"Mother! Bring me the axe!" Jack shouted. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he swung the axe as hard as he could. CHOP. CHOP. CHOP.

The beanstalk swayed, creaked, and came crashing down. The giant tumbled into a field far away and was never seen again.

Jack and his mother kept the hen that laid golden eggs and the harp that played beautiful music. They were never poor again, and they lived happily for the rest of their days.

But Jack never did trade for magic beans again.