Rapunzel

by Rachel Isadora, Rachel Isadora (Illustrator)

Overview

Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora's gorgeous collages breathe new life into this classic tale, capturing Rapunzel's striking beauty and the lush African setting-a new home for this story-with wonderful details such as Rapunzel's long dreadlocks and the prince's noble steed-a zebra. Readers will delight in the vibrant illustrations, thrill at the appearances of the frightening sorceress, and chime in with the familiar line 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,' as they follow this well-loved tale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399247729
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/16/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of eight. She trained at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and has danced professionally. Rachel lives in New York City with her family.

Rachel Isadora has illustrated many books set in the world of dance and theater, including Opening Night, My Ballet Class, Swan Lake, The Little Match Girl, and Ben's Trumpet, which received the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of eight. She trained at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and has danced professionally. Rachel lives in New York City with her family.

Rachel Isadora has illustrated many books set in the world of dance and theater, including Opening Night, My Ballet Class, Swan Lake, The Little Match Girl, and Ben's Trumpet, which received the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Editorial Reviews

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince "get married" in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel's hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: "The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after." Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy's Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews