Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow!: The Real Magic of the Beans by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fee, Fi, Fo, Grow! The Real Magic of the Beans is a twist on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk story. Jacqueline’s family is hungry, so her mom asks her to take the family cow Bessie to the market and sell for money for food. Along the way, Jacqueline meets an old man who offers to trade her some magic beans for the cow. He tells her the beans will grow way up in the sky and that if they are not magic then she can have the cow back. Jacqueline agrees and takes the beans home and tells her mom what the old man said. Her mom is very upset that Jacqueline made such a silly decision, so Jacqueline throws the beans out the window. When she wakes up in the morning, she is very surprised by what she sees out her window. Could the beans really be magic beans after all?

This was an entertaining and action-packed twist on the classic tale, with a pinch of drama and suspense added in. The illustrations were bright, bold, matched the story well, and really made the story come to life. The characters were fun, unique, and even a bit quirky. Jacqueline was smart and worked hard around the farm to help her mom but there was not enough food to feed them. Although she might have made a mistake in choosing to take the magic beans, she ended up making the most of the situation and found a way to feed her family. I loved the kindly old giant’s wife and how she looked out for Jacqueline caring for her and protecting her from the giant. A good story for a parent to read with their child and discuss things such as decision making, problem solving, growing food, talking to strangers, and consequences.

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