Rapunzel

by Brothers Grimm

Overview

In the story of Rapunzel a childless couple awaits the arrival of their firstborn. One day, the husband is caught stealing the salad greens, called Rapunzel, that his wife craves from the garden of the evil witch next door. The witch strikes a deal with the man, obtaining their firstborn child in return for all the Rapunzel the wife can eat. The child, growing up in captivity with the witch turns into a beautiful maiden with a voice of gold, and extraordinarily long hair. When a handsome prince passes through, the witch's cunningly-won custody arrangement starts to fall apart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781974995639
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	45
File size:	881 KB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), were German academics and authors who collected and published folk tales during the 19th century. They popularized such stories as Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White. Their first collection of folk tales, Children's and Household Tales was published in 1812.

Place of Birth:

Hanau, Germany

Place of Death:

Berlin, Germany

Table of Contents

Trapped in a tower with no door, Rapunzel is allowed to see no one but the sorceress who has imprisoned her-until the day a young prince hears her singing to the forest birds. . . . The timeless tale of Rapunzel is vividly and magnificently brought to life through Paul O. Zelinsky's powerful sense of narrative and his stunning oil paintings.

Editorial Reviews

European illustrator Dusikova interprets the familiar fairy tale with dreamy, dark watercolors. Observed by cats, butterflies, and birds, Rapunzel, the witch, and the king's son play out the story. Unfortunately, the second page of text, set against a charcoal background, is difficult to read. Predictably, the witch has a long nose, Rapunzel is demure and blond, and the prince is boyishly handsome. Dusikova's forte is her exquisite, misty landscape art. ...Bell's translation is for the most part, faithful to the traditional story. Only the twins have been removed, perhaps to suit the sensibilities of those opposed to unwed motherhood.

Book Review Digest

Exquisite paintings in late Italian Renaissance style illumine this hybrid version of a classic tale.

As Zelinsky (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990, etc.) explains in a long source note, the story's Italian oral progenitor went through a series of literary revisions and translations before the Brothers Grimm published their own take; he draws on many of these to create a formal, spare text that is more about the undercurrents between characters than crime and punishment. Feeling "her dress growing tight around her waist" a woman conceives the desire for an herb from the neighboring garden—rendered in fine detail with low clipped hedges, elaborate statuary and even a wandering pangolin—that causes her to lose her child to a witch. Ensconced for years in a tower, young Rapunzel meets the prince, "marries" him immediately, is cast into the wilderness when her own dress begins to tighten, gives birth to twins, and cures her husband's blindness with her tears at their long-awaited reunion. Suffused with golden light, Zelinsky's landscapes and indoor scenes are grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command. (Picture book/folklore. 8-10) Exquisite paintings in late Italian Renaissance style illumine this hybrid version of a classic tale.

As Zelinsky (The Wheels on the Bus, 1990, etc.) explains in a long source note, the story's Italian oral progenitor went through a series of literary revisions and translations before the Brothers Grimm published their own take; he draws on many of these to create a formal, spare text that is more about the undercurrents between characters than crime and punishment. Feeling "her dress growing tight around her waist" a woman conceives the desire for an herb from the neighboring garden—rendered in fine detail with low clipped hedges, elaborate statuary and even a wandering pangolin—that causes her to lose her child to a witch. Ensconced for years in a tower, young Rapunzel meets the prince, "marries" him immediately, is cast into the wilderness when her own dress begins to tighten, gives birth to twins, and cures her husband's blindness with her tears at their long-awaited reunion. Suffused with golden light, Zelinsky's landscapes and indoor scenes are grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command. (Picture book/fol

Kirkus Reviews

On Dusíková's edition of The Princess and the Pea:

'Dusikova's pictures are full of soft edges and soft colours, with pretty architectual details and an assortment of castle denizens, including a pair of cats and a toddler in a jester's motley. A rendering to bring a smile or possibly a giggle.'
– Kirkus Reviews

'Maja Dusikova's Rapunzel retells a classic fairy tale and adds lovely, soft-edged drawings... Good reading skills or parental assistance will lend to the beautiful story of a braided beauty with a beautiful voice and a brave prince who breaks her isolation.'
– Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher