In John Howe's richly illustrated version of the traditional tale, Jack is a lazy but adventurous lad who trades the family cow fro a few beans.  The beans, of course are magic, and grow into a beanstalk that brushes the sky.

Jack take advantage of the kindness and curiosity of the giant's wife to steal a hen (that lays golden eggs), a bag of gold, and an enchanted harp.  In the end, Jack leads the giant down the beanstalk and kills him by chopping the plant out from underneath him.

Howe's illustrations beautifully capture the magical air about the beanstalk and the giant's kingdom in the sky - even the castle has a look of enchantment in the paintings.