Rapunzel

by Bethan Woollvin

Overview

The wicked witch has Rapunzel trapped…but not for long!

Rapunzel lives all alone in a tall, dark tower. Under the threat of a witch's fearsome curse, the poor girl seems doomed to a life in captivity. But is Rapunzel frightened? Oh no, not she!

With irreverent humor and striking illustrations, the creator of Little Red puts an empowering and delightfully dark twist on a classic story of a helpless damsel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682630037
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Bethan Woollvin is a recent graduate of the Cambridge School of Art, where she won the prestigious Macmillan Children's Book Competition with her version of Little Red Riding Hood. It was her first picture book. She lives in England.

Editorial Reviews

2017-08-21
A resourceful Rapunzel turns the tale askew. Employing the same cropped, shifty-eyed cover style as her previous work (Little Red, 2016), Woollvin hints at mischief right at the start. This time, a certain gal with long golden locks is not as helpless as she may appear. Woollvin begins with Rapunzel already in the tower; there's no mention of how she got there. But a witch, in a modish black hooded dress that makes it look as though she's wearing a black traffic cone, keeps her imprisoned. The fairy tale's well-known refrain is only sounded once: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" but readers will appreciate the hint of familiarity. No prince is needed in this version; instead Rapunzel uses her own hair to climb out of the tower and makes friends with woodland creatures who help her escape. She defeats the witch with cunning ingenuity—and advice from a book titled How to Defeat Witches. The blocky gouache illustrations in gray and black, strategically accented with yellow (such as the witch's bloomers as well as Rapunzel's hair), heighten the timbre, suggesting both deviousness and joy. A damsel no more, Rapunzel dons a black Zorro mask and takes on the rest of the witches in the forest (all of whom are as white as Rapunzel, but one is delightfully bearded). Empowerment in leaps and bounds. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"The blocky gouache illustrations in gray and black, strategically accented with yellow. . . heighten the timbre, suggesting both deviousness and joy. . . . Empowerment in leaps and bounds."—Kirkus Reviews

"Children will adore Rapunzel and cheer her victory over evil personified. A perfect length for storytime and those seeking fairy tale variants."—School Library Journal

"Utilizing simple, bold strokes of yellow, black, and gray inks, Woollvin expressively fills each page with eye-catching details that will bring readers back for another look. Fans of her Little Red (2016) will enjoy this latest feisty and intelligent heroine."—Booklist

"It's about time that Rapunzel saved herself, and in Woollvin's sly follow-up to 2016's Little Red, she does exactly that. . . . Thanks to Woollvin, readers may grow up thinking this just-wicked-enough retelling is the classic one; if they ever stumble across versions with the prince, they may wonder why he was thought necessary."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher