Jill and the beanstalk - Book Review


Manju Gregory. Illustrated by David Anstey
Translated from English by Maria Helena Thomas
Mantra Lingua (2004), PB, £7.50
ISBN: I 84444 102 4

The tale tells the story of Jill, Jack’s sister, who goes to the market to sell a cow. In her way to the market, Jill trades the cow for magic beans instead of money. When she comes back home, her mum, in anger, throws them on the floor. During the night, the beans grow into a beanstalk that reaches the sky. Jill climbs up the stalk that will take her to a giant’s land.

Jill’s story is a new version of the traditional tale. The story written in rhyme has references to popular nursery rhymes, which are provided in full at the end of the book. The colourful illustrations complement well this story written in dual language.

The book published in English- Spanish parallel text is suitable for children reading Spanish and those who are learning Spanish as a foreign language. Maria Helena’s beautiful translation in rhyme makes this book fully enjoyable for readers of both languages.

Recommended reading age: 6 - 9

2 comments:

Jude said...

Hi Inma
Thanks for dropping in to my blog and here I am at yours! Thought I'd find out some more about you... I know very little about Spanish literature other than Lorca but it strikes me that there is real potential for translation, if it's not already happening.

Inma Magan said...

Hi Jude,
Thanks for dropping by. Yes, there is a real potential for translation of Spanish books, although so far Spanish publishers haven't made too much of an effort to promote Spanish Literature in the UK. It can be really hard to find in the UK if you are interested in Spanish Literature. Such a pity! Hopefully, with time things will change.