Stimpson sets his version of Jack and the Beanstalk in 1950s America, with skyscrapers surrounding the flyover under which Jack and his mother run a cafe, and iconic cars and clothing of the time. Many of the images are framed liked photos or film clips, with a pervasive sepia tint to the colouration, emphasising the period setting. Threatened by the flyover and the closure of their means of livelihood, Jack's mother sends him to buy the best quality coffee beans in the hope that this will attract new customers. He buys baked beans instead, so his mother throws them out, but climbing the resulting beanstalk he finds a giant whose cooking skills save the business. A delightful, comic twist on a traditional tale.

 

There are 40 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2013 by Templar Publishing .

Born in England, Colin Stimpson studied illustration at Kingston School of Art. He has worked as an animator for a number of notable companies, including Disney and Steven Spielberg's Amblimation, on a variety of feature films. He has also illustrated the highly successful Poison Diaries (Pavillon Books), written by the Duchess of Northumberland.