Estella is getting ready for bed in her coordinated pink room when Daddy comes in and she requests, no demands, a bedtime 
story! Her dad is on it and, with many interruptions, tells the story of how, long ago when he was a kid, he used the family’s grocery money on magic beans, climbed the beanstalk, and encountered a scary giant (and a fox named Wendy, as per Estella’s request). Along the way Daddy (Andrew) learns some lessons about following the rules, being kind, and telling the truth and by the time the story ends Estella has a little confession of her own to make.
Child-Andrew has oddly bulky shoulders for a seven year old, but the art is generally attractive and cinematic, especially the mischievous fox, Wendy, and there are lots of funny moments, like when Estella imagines her father walking down the street in horse and carriage days. The giant boy looks like a large, white kid but when the rest of his giant/monster friends arrive, they are more varied with different skin hues, devil-style horns, and a female Cyclops. Interjections throughout the story cut back to Estella, perky in her pink pajamas and smoothly styled hair and her dad, a slicker, slimmer version of the author.
Weiner has successfully created or produced a number of films and titles for various ages, but this is his first foray into a juvenile chapter book. The ages of the characters don’t ring quite true and the didactic interjections interrupt the story, but it’s not a bad first effort I can think of many parents who will enjoy reading this with their children as a bedtime story as well as kids who will find it funny. There are plenty of choices for beginning graphic novels that are better written with stronger, more realistic characters, but for libraries looking to keep their shelves stocked with a wide range of selections for this age range this a perfectly acceptable addition.
Daddy and the Beanstalk
By Andrew Weiner
Art by Bethany Crandall
Little Brown Ink, 2023
ISBN: 9780316592918
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9)
