by Val Biro

readability grade 2, read aloud kindergarten

Yes this is the traditional tale with the upset mother, angry giant, and adventurous little boy. What makes this version different are the detailed and colourful illustrations of Val Biro’s traditional style. I love Val Biro’s giant, who looks clumsy, fat, yet scary at the same time (maybe his big pointy club gives the latter effect!). The illustrations are very true to the text, so troubled readers can also still read the story.

Re-tell the story through pictures:

1. Draw an outline of a leaf on a piece of paper, and photocopy enough for your class.
2. On chart paper ask the class to retell the story sentence by sentence.
3. Assign one sentence per child and ask them to draw a corresponding picture (have left over sentences done by children who finish early).
4. Display these pictures in order on a beanstalk going up a bulletin board.