Rapunzel

Bibliography
Zelinsky, Paul O. Rapunzel. Ill by Paul O. Zelinksy. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN: 9780525456070


Plot Summary
Rapunzel is a traditional retelling of the fairy tale many know as Rapunzel. Zelinsky not only borrowed from the Grimms version, but also from versions found as far back as 1643. In this retelling, a pregnant woman developed a craving for the rare herb rapunzel. Her neighbor, a sorceress, grew the herb next door so the wife could see it every day. The craving affected the woman physically. Her body began to deteriorate until her husband climbed over the wall and stole as much rapunzel as he could. His wife was satisfied, but not for long.

The wife began to crave the herb soon after. This time when the husband climbed over the wall, the sorceress was waiting. He explained the situation to her. When she demanded that he give her the child when it is born, he agreed.

The sorceress named the baby girl Rapunzel. When the girl turned twelve, the sorceress took to live in a high tower. Rapunzel's only visitor was the sorceress because the tower was too high for anyone to enter. The sorceress must climb up Rapunzel’s long, beautiful hair to call on her.

One day a prince hears Rapunzel’s singing. He trails the voice to the tower and soon learns how the sorceress enters the tower. He tricks Rapunzel into dropping her hair for him to climb. The two fall and love and marry in secret. Soon, Rapunzel is with child. The sorceress is furious. She chops off Rapunzel’s hair and casts her off into the wilderness with no one to care for her. When the prince arrives, the sorceress tricks him into climbing up the braids she has severed from Rapunzel’s head. At the realization it is not his beloved, he lets go of the braids. He does not die but becomes blind.

Through his blindness, he makes his way to the wilderness. He stumbles upon the singing that attracted him to Rapunzel in the first place. She has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Rapunzel’s tears cure the prince of his blindness. The family finds their way out of the wilderness and to the prince’s kingdom where they live out their days in happiness.


Critical Analysis

At the end of the book, Zelinsky goes into detail about the history of the story of Rapunzel. This serves as an explanation for why he structured the story the way he did. He also explains why he chose to illustrate the tale in the style of Italian Renaissance. “The form beauty of Italian Renaissance art seemed to fit well with a tale centered on the beauty of a young girl and a mother figure whose own youth is gone.” The pairing of this tale and art style have a harmonious rhythm.

The exquisite illustrations convey the story without words. It would not be hard to imagine this book to follow in the style of Pinkey’s Aesop series as a wordless picture book. The passage of time is evident with the aging cat that appears in several of the pictures with Rapunzel. One confusing illustration is that of the father when the sorceress is taking away the newborn girl. He is sitting on a chair, his legs spread apart and his hand to his neck. Why is this?

Zelinsky follows the darker path this tale can turn. The sorceress casts Rapunzel into the wilderness with no protection. The prince attempts suicide. In his attempt, the prince only becomes blind. He travels the wildness until he finds his family. Older audiences will enjoy this darker take on the tale popularized by Disney. Younger audiences may balk at the length of the story, but the pictures provide as much storytelling as the text does.


Review Excerpt(s)
Caldecott Medal Winner 1998

KIRKUS Reviews: “Suffused with golden light, Zelinsky's landscapes and indoor scenes are grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command.”

THE HORN BOOK: "Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision.”

Connections

Only show students the images from the story. Have them write out the story based only on the images that are provided. Then read the story and see how close students were. This can be done individually or students can be put into small groups.

Discuss setting: How can you tell that this story took place long ago? Does the story look like it took place in our country or in another country? How are the houses and buildings different from the ones in your neighborhood?

This book could be used in art classes to study the Italian Renaissance. A focus could be on people and how they are drawn or positioned. How the illustrator conveyed the passage of time.

This can be used in a sentence structure activity. There are many simple, compound, and complex sentences students can do a scavenger hunt for. Students could also change any original sentences into a different type of sentence.