1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Retold and Illustrated by Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. RAPUNZEL. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 0-14-230193-0.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
RAPUNZEL is a retelling of a story that has been around for centuries. It begins with a loving couple that longs for a child. When the young wife becomes pregnant, she begins to crave an herb from a nearby garden that belongs to a sorceress. The appeasing husband steals the herb, rapunzel, for his pregnant wife, but he is caught by the sorceress and threatened. The sorceress demands to have the child, in exchange for not harming the wife. After the sweet baby girl is born, she is taken from the couple and raised by the sorceress.
Eventually the sorceress decides to hide the young princess in a tall tower. The only entrance into the tower is through a window high above the ground. The only way to get to the entrance is to climb up the Princess’s beautiful, long, golden hair.
One day, a handsome prince rides by the tower and hears some lovely singing. He learns to call for Rapunzel’s hair, in order to get into the tower. When he meets Rapunzel, he falls instantly in love with her, and in a private ceremony, the two are wed.
Their secret marriage stays hidden from the sorceress until Rapunzel becomes pregnant. Once the sorceress learns of this, she cuts Rapunzel’s long locks and banishes her to the wilderness. The prince has a horrible accident that results in him being blind. He wanders around in his grief, until one day, he hears Rapunzel’s voice again! When they reunite, the tears from Rapunzel’s eyes magically heal the Prince’s eyes.
They return to the Prince’s kingdom, with their twins, to live happily ever after.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story of the stolen princess with the luscious locks is a familiar one. This version is delicately told, by diminishing the evil of the sorceress and tempering the romance between Rapunzel and the prince. The shining element of this book is the artwork. Zelinksky’s illustrations are incredibly detailed and artful. They establish a beautiful, renaissance-like setting. There is a slight touch of magic at the end, just enough to ensure the perfect happily ever after. This elegance of this picture book may be more appreciated by adults than young children, but both will thoroughly enjoy it.
4. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS, 1998
CALDECOTT MEDAL, 1998
HORN BOOK MAGAZINE, STARRED REVIEW (Mar. 1998)- “It takes a scholar's mind and an artist's insight to endow the familiar with unexpected nuances--which Zelinsky does with passion and dazzling technique.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (Dec. 1997): “An elegant and sophisticated retelling that draws on early French and Italian versions of the tale. Masterful oil paintings capture the Renaissance setting and flesh out the tragic figures.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*In a unit on fairy tales, this book could be read alongside Rapunzel:
Grimm, Jacob. Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs ISBN 978-0-329-56249-6
Claflin, Willy. Rapunzel and the seven dwarfs : a Maynard Moose tale ISBN 978-0-87483-914-2, is a fractured fairy tale with elements of Rapunzel and Snow White mixed together, and nothing ends “the way it is supposed to!”
*Other great picture book versions of the Rapunzel story to compare/contrast:
Isadora, Rachel. RAPUNZEL. ISBN 978-0-399-24772-9
Roberts, Lynn. RAPUNZEL: A GROOVY 1970s FAIRY TALE. ISBN 978-1-53792-122-8
Woolvin, Bethan. RAPUNZEL. ISBN 978-1-71374-851-9
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