Risk and reward go hand in hand. Jack takes a huge risk by trading the family's only cow for a handful of beans. It seems like a terrible decision — and his mother certainly thinks so. But sometimes the biggest rewards come from the most unlikely beginnings.

Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the most popular English fairy tales. The first published version appeared in 1807, though the story is much older. The tale has everything a good adventure needs: a daring hero, a terrifying villain, a magical world above the clouds, and the famous words "Fee-fi-fo-fum!"

The story also raises interesting questions about right and wrong. Jack is the hero, but is he really heroic? He enters the giant's castle without permission, steals his gold, his hen, and his harp, and then kills the giant by chopping down the beanstalk. Is Jack brave, or is he a thief? Different readers have different answers — and that is what makes the story so interesting to discuss.