Jack and the Beanstalk: An English Folktale

Award-winning storyteller Bill Gordh (Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence winner, National Association of Parenting Periodicals Gold Award winner) presents this folk tale live with no script, accompanied only by his own dynamic banjo playing.

Jack and his mother were having no luck on the farm. Jack was taking the cow into the village to sell it when he met a man who offered Jack some magical beans for the cow. Jack said, "Okay." When he came home, his mother got mad at him for making such a trade and threw the beans out the window. In the morning Jack woke to discover a huge beanstalk rising to the sky. He climbed it up into a cloud land. He walked on a path across the clouds to a great palace. Inside he discovered a huge woman. She was the ogre's wife.

The ogre was coming home, and Jack hid in the oven. Ogre smelled Jack. "Fee fi fo fum." He ate, counted his gold, and fell asleep. Jack took a bag of gold and went home. They had gold that lasted a long time. Then Jack went back. Ogre's wife hid him again in the oven. Ogre came home, ordered his hen to lay its golden eggs, and fell asleep. Jack took the hen. He returned a third time and took the golden harp, which sang out when Jack ran away with it. The ogre woke up and followed. Jack got to the bottom of the beanstalk, and as the ogre was climbing down, Jack chopped through the beanstalk. The ogre came tumbling down, and that was the end of the ogre. Jack had a harp that sang and a hen that laid golden eggs. He and his mother were happy.