Rapunzel Books

Rapunzel

Written and Illustrated By: Paul O. Zelinsky

Zelinsky, P. O. (1997). Rapunzel. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

Genre: Fairy Tale

Recommended ages: 2-11 years old

Awards: Caldecott Award Winner (1998)

Summary: Rapunzel’s parents have been caught stealing from an evil sorceress and as punishment they are forced to give her their only child, which they name Rapunzel. Rapunzel is cared for by the sorceress and is isolated from society in a tower only accessible by Rapunzel’s long hair. One day Rapunzel meets a Prince and nothing is the same.

Personal Reflection: The illustrations in this book are highly detailed in this adaptation of Rapunzel, which will keep the children engaged while listening. Zelinsky won a Caldecott for his work in this book. Zelinsky’s retelling of Rapunzel is one that should be read to children of all ages. Many activities can be completed through this story, such as comparing and contrasting different versions of Rapunzel or other fairy tales. I would use this in my first grade classroom to compare and contrast differences and similarities between different versions on the story Rapunzel.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book for purchase in a library because it’s a classic story that should be told to all children.


Rapunzel’s Revenge

Written by: Shannon and Dean Hall

Illustrated by: Nathan Hale

Hall, S. & D. (2008). Rapunzel’s revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.

Genre: Graphic Novel

Recommended grades: 6th – 10th grade

Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book, Great Graphic Novel for Teens (YALSA)

Summary: In this rendition of Rapunzel, Rapunzel discovers the truth about “her mother” and is locked into a tower high above the forest. But instead of waiting to be rescued, she takes matters into her own hands and escapes once her hair is long enough. She has many adventures before she finally returns home to have her revenge on Mother Gothel.

Personal Reflection: This is a hilarious rendition of the classic fairy tale but with a more modern theme than the original. I recommended this book for grades 6th – 10th but I think that with careful planning this book could be used in upper elementary grades. This book can be used to introduce students to graphic novels or compared and contrasted to the original. In high school, students could complete a their own graphic novel by taking a fairy tale and modernizing it.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for middle school and high school libraries.