Blake A. Hoena grew up in central Wisconsin, where he wrote stories about robots conquering the moon and trolls lumbering around the woods behind his parents house. He now lives in Minnesota and enjoys writing about fun things like history, space aliens, and superheroes. Blake has written more than fifty chapter books and dozens of graphic novels for children.
Folktales are the perfect genre for graphic novels with their
stereotypical characters and plentiful action. Hoena's retelling of
this familiar tale is a blending of two well-known versions:
Benjamin Tabart's chapbook published in 1807 with details found
from the Joseph Jacobs' 1890 version. In the Tabart version, Jack
is taking back items the giant had stolen from his father. In
Jacobs' version, Jack is the trickster and steals because his
family is poor. Included in this retelling is a table of contents,
discussion questions for reading groups, writing prompts, and
information about the author and the illustrator. The illustrator
has used backgrounds dominated by green, mauve, and brown to create
atmosphere in his cartoon-style illustrations, which appear to be
in the Disney tradition. Although geared to younger readers, older
elementary reluctant readers will enjoy this as well. The cover art
is eye-catching, and the sturdy binding will hold up under heavy
use. Glossary. Recommended.-- "Library Media Connection"
Frequent children's graphic novelist Blake A. Hoena (Legend of
Sleepy Hollow, 2008; Ooze Slingers from Outer Space, 2007) offers
this new version of the oft-told classic. He elegantly simplifies
and streamlines an already fast-paced tale, producing a very crisp
version. This allows Ricardo Tercio (Spider-Man Fairy Tales, 2007)
to imbue the story with multiple levels through his flexible
figures and somber palette. The giant, with his blazing orange eyes
and angry, malleable face, presents an age-appropriate sense of
menace, and Jack exudes the energy of a young boy, always poised
for action even when sitting still. With just a dash of slapstick
humor and the tale's inherent suspense, this is a grand opportunity
to introduce young kids to the graphic format through a story they
are already familiar with; those who already follow their favorite
superheroes in comics will see the vast range of possibilities in
sequential art. To help with classroom use, there is a glossary,
brief history of the tale, discussion questions, writing prompts,
and suggested Internet sites.-- "Booklist"
It's "Fee Fie Foh Fum" when Jack runs smack into the beanstalk upon
waking. Later a huge "rumble" spreads across the page when the
giant enters the room. Large panels, easy-to-read speech balloons,
and a muted full-color palette craft an effective retelling.
Background history of the story, writing prompts, and discussion
questions are included.-- "School Library Journal"
Jack and his widowed mother lived in a small ramshackle country
cottage in England. One day, as Jack was milking the cow, he sadly
discovered that she had gone dry. There was no alternative, but to
sell Milky White, because otherwise they would starve. On the way
to the market Jack ran into an old man who convinced him to trade
Milky for five magic beans. Needless to say, his mother was some
unhappy and threw him out, stating he couldn't come back until he
got their cow back. He planted those beans, which quickly grew into
a giant beanstalk. "FEE FIE FOH FUM! I smell the blood of an
Englishman!" Whoa, Jack found something totally unexpected when he
reached the top . . . a giant. Perhaps you already know the end of
this story! Hoena tells it a bit differently, but a little extra
spice is always nice in a fairy tale. The small cast of characters,
Jack, The Mother, The Giant's Wife and the Giant, are introduced in
the front of the book. In the back of the book we find information
about the author and illustrator, a glossary, the history of Jack
and the Beanstalk, discussion questions and writing prompts for
classroom or homeschool use. Graphic novels can oftentimes spur the
reluctant reader into action. The "comic book" or graphic visual
format is more exciting for some children. Tercio's illustrations
are streamlined and simple. The uncluttered pages are appealing
will stimulate the reader's imagination. These retold tales do make
reading a bit more enticing and fun!-- "Roundtable Reviews for
Kids"
Folktales are the perfect genre for graphic novels with their
stereotypical characters and plentiful action. Hoena's retelling of
this familiar tale is a blending of two well-known versions:
Benjamin Tabart's chapbook published in 1807 with details found
from the Joseph Jacobs' 1890 version. In the Tabart version, Jack
is taking back items the giant had stolen from his father. In
Jacobs' version, Jack is the trickster and steals because his
family is poor. Included in this retelling is a table of contents,
discussion questions for reading groups, writing prompts, and
information about the author and the illustrator. The illustrator
has used backgrounds dominated by green, mauve, and brown to create
atmosphere in his cartoon-style illustrations, which appear to be
in the Disney tradition. Although geared to younger readers, older
elementary reluctant readers will enjoy this as well. The cover art
is eye-catching, and the sturdy binding will hold up under heavy
use. Glossary. Recommended.-- "Library Media Connection"
Frequent children's graphic novelist Blake A. Hoena (Legend of
Sleepy Hollow, 2008; Ooze Slingers from Outer Space, 2007) offers
this new version of the oft-told classic. He elegantly simplifies
and streamlines an already fast-paced tale, producing a very crisp
version. This allows Ricardo Tercio (Spider-Man Fairy Tales, 2007)
to imbue the story with multiple levels through his flexible
figures and somber palette. The giant, with his blazing orange eyes
and angry, malleable face, presents an age-appropriate sense of
menace, and Jack exudes the energy of a young boy, always poised
for action even when sitting still. With just a dash of slapstick
humor and the tale's inherent suspense, this is a grand opportunity
to introduce young kids to the graphic format through a story they
are already familiar with; those who already follow their favorite
superheroes in comics will see the vast range of possibilities in
sequential art. To help with classroom use, there is a glossary,
brief history of the tale, discussion questions, writing prompts,
and suggested Internet sites.-- "Booklist"
It's "Fee Fie Foh Fum" when Jack runs smack into the beanstalk upon
waking. Later a huge "rumble" spreads across the page when the
giant enters the room. Large panels, easy-to-read speech balloons,
and a muted full-color palette craft an effective retelling.
Background history of the story, writing prompts, and discussion
questions are included.-- "School Library Journal"
Jack and his widowed mother lived in a small ramshackle country
cottage in England. One day, as Jack was milking the cow, he sadly
discovered that she had gone dry. There was no alternative, but to
sell Milky White, because otherwise they would starve. On the way
to the market Jack ran into an old man who convinced him to trade
Milky for five magic beans. Needless to say, his mother was some
unhappy and threw him out, stating he couldn't come back until he
got their cow back. He planted those beans, which quickly grew into
a giant beanstalk. "FEE FIE FOH FUM! I smell the blood of an
Englishman!" Whoa, Jack found something totally unexpected when he
reached the top . . . a giant. Perhaps you already know the end of
this story! Hoena tells it a bit differently, but a little extra
spice is always nice in a fairy tale. The small cast of characters,
Jack, The Mother, The Giant's Wife and the Giant, are introduced in
the front of the book. In the back of the book we find information
about the author and illustrator, a glossary, the history of Jack
and the Beanstalk, discussion questions and writing prompts for
classroom or homeschool use. Graphic novels can oftentimes spur the
reluctant reader into action. The "comic book" or graphic visual
format is more exciting for some children. Tercio's illustrations
are streamlined and simple. The uncluttered pages are appealing
will stimulate the reader's imagination. These retold tales do make
reading a bit more enticing and fun!-- "Roundtable Reviews for
Kids"
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