Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky
Bibliography:
Zelinsky, Paul O., Amy Beniker, and
John Stevens. 1997. Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books.
ISBN:
0525456074
Plot
Summary: A young woman dreams of having a
child, but is unable to. She sits by her garden everyday and stares at a beautiful
garden that belongs to a sorceress. No one ever dared to enter the garden;
however, the woman wants the Rapunzel that grows in her garden. She develops
cravings for the herb and tells her husband that she will die without it. So,
he climbs into her garden and takes as much of the Rapunzel that he can, and
his wife devours it. But, the next day, her cravings still persist and he goes
to get more, but the sorceress stops him, and makes him promise to give her his
first born child. The woman eventually gives birth to a daughter named Rapunzel
and at the age of twelve, the sorceress takes her, and puts her in a tower. The
only way in and out of the tower was by way of Rapunzel’s long silky hair.
Rapunzel lives in the tower for years. Then one day, a prince hears her
singing, and falls instantly in love. He finds a way into the tower and
professes his love for her and they eventually marry. The sorceress finds out
and cuts her hair, and she eventually gives birth to twins. The prince goes to
find her but is met with opposition from the sorceress in a confrontation that
left him blind. After sometime, the Prince and Rapunzel are reunited and the
Prince’s vision is restored at the sight of his long lost love and children.
Critical
Analysis: Paul O. Zelinsky retells the classic fairytale
Rapunzel through exquisite oil paintings that give an accurate and realistic portrayal
of the story through images that are reminiscent of the Renaissance. The
characters are the archetypes of good and evil and have symbolic qualities.
Rapunzel is the good natured songstress that lures in her Prince Charming with
her voice. The sorceress on the other hand is the antagonist that takes Rapunzel
away from her family, and locks her in a tower. The plot is simple and either
takes place in the garden, castle, tower, or woods. The conflict in the story
is centered around the plot of the storyline, and is dependent on the
characters interactions. Within the setting of the story, time passes quickly.
Rapunzel is born, then twelve years old, and, lastly, of child bearing age. The
theme of good triumphing evil runs rampant throughout the text and is seen when
Rapunzel and prince charming find one another in the end where they live
happily ever after. The illustrations carry this classic fairytale and reflect
the time period in which the tale was originally created.
Review
Excerpts:
Caldecott Medal Winner 1998
1998 Carl Sandburg Award
Texas Bluebonnet
Award
·
From
Publishers Weekly
- In our Best Book citation, PW said, "A breathtaking
interpretation gives the fairy tale new art-historical roots, with
illustrations that daringly-and effectively-mimic the masters of Italian
Renaissance painting." Ages 5-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
·
From
School Library Journal - Kindergarten-Grade 3. An elegant and
sophisticated retelling that draws on early French and Italian versions of the
tale. Masterful oil paintings capture the Renaissance setting and flesh out the
tragic figures.
·
From
Kirkus Reviews - 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)
·
The Horn
Book said, "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/Activities:
·
This book can be used in a
compare/contrast lesson over the different variations of Rapunzel.
·
Students can create a Venn Diagram
·
Students can use this book to discover
the different story elements within a text.
·
Students can examine cause and effect
relationships.
·
Students can write their own version
of Rapunzel.
·
Students can perform a Reader's
Theater that they create based off of the book.
·
Students can create a new version of
Rapunzel set in a different part of the world.
·
Select other books by Paul O. Zelinsky
o
Rumplestiltskin
– 0140558640
o
Hansel
and Gretel by Rika Lesser and Paul O. Zelinsky -
0698114078
o
Swamp
Angel by Anne Isaacs and Paul O. Zelinsky -
978-0140559088
·
Related Texts
o
Little
Red Riding Hood
by Trina Schart Hyman – 0823406539
o
Rapunzel: Based on the Original Story by the
Brothers Grimm by Sarah
Gibb- 978-0807568040
o
Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora - 978-0399247729
Personal
Connections: I have loved reading this book since I
was in elementary school and it is one of my favorite books to read aloud to my
students. The illustrations are beautiful and they really draw the reader’s
attention. I have used this book every year in my third grade classroom to
teach story elements because students have some prior knowledge of the plot. In
all, I think that it is a great book with beautiful illustrations.
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