Picture Book Review of Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is a reason this beautiful version of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky won the Caldecott Medal in 1998. The lush Italian illustrations in this picture book are breathtaking. The artwork is worthy of a close study alone.

This version blends story threads from Italian, French, and German tales. My 4th graders quickly connected the latest Disney version story -Tangled, to this timeless story. The language in the text is well put together, although it takes fifteen to twenty minutes to read the book aloud. Of course, we had to stop and gawk at the illustrations.

After we visited Rapunzel's tower we decided to take a short tour of Europe on the map in order to identify the lay of the land. We discovered through end note in the book that at one time fairy tales were all the rage. In fact, one aristocratic lady was sent to a nunnery after writing a version deemed inappropriate. After all, a prince shouldn't climb a tower and spent time alone with a lady, not to mention get her in the family way. Zelinsky kept this picture book within the bounds of propriety, and married the two lovebirds secretly in the tower before their twins were born.

Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinksy