Jack and the Beanstalk Author:Jennifer Greenway, Richard Bernal (Illustrator) One of the best-loved fairy tales of all time, Jack and the Beanstalk is a reassuring story of luck and prosperity. After selling the family cow for a mere handful of beans, Jack is redeemed when the beans prove magical. They grow into a beanstalk that takes him to a land where he finds a goose who lays golden eggs.