Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 0525456074
Plot Summary
This is a retelling of the classic Rapunzel story. It begins with a young, pregnant mother who experiences extreme cravings for her neighbor's rapunzel herb that belongs to a sorceress. The mother's cravings were so intense that they feared she would die if she did not have it. The husband decided to risk going into the garden for his wife's life and when there, he was caught by the sorceress. The sorceress agreed to let him take some under the condition that she could have the child when she was born. The husband agreed to do this so that his wife would live. When the baby was born, she was named Rapunzel and the sorceress took the child and raised her herself. She locked Rapunzel in a tower when she turned twelve and visited her by climbing the tower using Rapunzel's long, silky hair. One day, a prince came along and was struck by Rapunzel's beautiful voice. He watched the sorceress climb the tower and copying her style, climbed his way into the tower one day. Rapunzel and the prince fell in love and soon, Rapunzel was expecting a child of her own. When the sorceress found out, she was outraged and sent Rapunzel to a wild country to live. When the prince came to visit her in the tower, he was greeted by the sorceress who pushed him off the tower and hurt him so badly he was blinded. After searching and searching blindly through the forest for Rapunzel, he finally found her a year later and the tears from her eyes healed his own and the young family went off to live in his kingdom.
Critical Analysis
This is an accurate retelling of the classic fairy tale. The setting is extremely vague with the only written cue being that it was "Long ago". After reading the author's note, he expresses that he modeled it after the Italian countryside but this is only applicable to adult readers who take the time to read that part of the book. The overall theme in this book is classic of many fairy tales in that good and true love will triumph over evil. No matter what the sorceress did, the prince and Rapunzel overcame and lived happily ever after. The style of the book was true to earlier versions of the story. The most famous line, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.", is a repeated element of the story.
The illustrations in the book helped expressed elements of the setting that the writing did not. From the illustrations, the reader gets an idea of the country side where the characters lived and are true to what we would think of when picturing Italy. The illustrations also use very detailed texture and coloring that are reminiscent of old 17th century paintings. The good characters are drawn to have happy and soft features while the antagonist has a harsh, cruel look to her.
Review Excerpts
- 1998 Caldecott Winner
- Publisher's Weekly- "A breath taking interpretation...."
Connections
*Alternate version of Rapunzel
-- Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora ISBN 9780399247729
*Show the Disney film adaptation of Rapunzel called Tangled.
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