I always wondered about the geography. A beanstalk grows into the clouds. Does it pierce through the atmosphere? Is the giant's land in another dimension, on a floating island, or just on top of a very high cloud? And how does the giant's wife get there? Is she a giant too? She's often portrayed as just a very large woman. If they're the only two up there, where did their wealth come from? Did they conquer it? The worldbuilding raises so many questions the folktale isn't interested in answering, which is part of its charm—it's a pure symbolic landscape.
The giant's possessions are anthropomorphized. The harp that sings and the goose that lays golden eggs are magical objects. Modern versions might give them voices, desires, or bonds with the giant. Rescuing them could become a goal, turning theft into liberation. This reframes Jack from a thief to a liberator, aligning his actions with modern heroic ideals. It's a neat trick to preserve the plot while updating the moral justification to suit contemporary sensibilities about property and freedom.
If you have a Kindle or use the Kindle app, you can find countless free versions on Amazon. Just search 'Jack and the Beanstalk free' in the Kindle store. Many are compilations like '50 Classic Fairy Tales' that are permanently free or priced at $0.00.
The formatting for these can be hit or miss—some are perfectly fine, others are poorly edited. But it's incredibly convenient if you already use the ecosystem. You can download it in seconds and have it on your device forever. I've amassed a huge library of free classics this way.