| Title | : | Rapunzel |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0399247726 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780399247729 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published October 16, 2008 |
Rapunzel Reviews
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This seems to be a faithful retelling of the original Rapunzel, only the setting was changed to what appears to be Africa and the characters are people of color. I think the artwork is beautiful and I simply love all the colors used in the book. It all works well and it's great to see these classic characters in new ways and lights to get a new insight here or there.
The Brothers Grimm had the correct names. This is a grim story. The sorceress is evil and she makes life miserable for people. I need to see what the plant Rapunzel tastes like. I forget the english word it is. I think it's an Italian fruit of some sort, well something European. This pregnant mom sure needed some.
I understand as a parent wanting to protect your child, but if they choose a different life than you planned and you throw them into the harsh world you tried to protect them from, then you are the real monster here. Anyway. Children come into the world with their own path and its hard to see parents who can't grasp that idea.
At least Rapunzel is able to heal her husbands eyes and they can end up being happy in the end.
This is a well done story. -
This is the second retelling of Rapunzel I've read, and unfortunately, I just felt that it did not do the story justice. This is a dark story - an evil witch, or in this case an evil sorceress, steals a baby, and locks her in a tower cut off from the world. When she chances to find happiness anyway, that is snatched away as well... and then only by luck is there a happy ending. For all its darkness though, this story read like a Wikipedia summary. There was no feeling of danger, or fear, and the "terrifying" evil sorceress was about as scary as vanilla ice cream. I don't think even children in the age group this is aimed at would find her scary if this was read to them... probably only if they saw her picture.
I did find it terrifying in a different, disturbing way, though. The story, being rewritten for such a young audience (ages 4-7), feels like all of the substance of the story was removed. There's no personality. The evil sorceress is just the ugly lady who stole a baby and locked her away in a tower to punish her parents for petty theft. Rapunzel has no personality at all, is barely even a character in the story, despite being the TITLE character. She has one line, and that's it. But she's described as being the most beautiful girl under the sun, so who needs personality when you have your looks? They're the only thing of value a girl has anyway, right fashion industry?
Not only is that message incredibly disturbing, but after Rapunzel is cast out, and her beloved falls from the tower and is blinded, and then Rapunzel and the prince meet again for their Happy Ever After, we hear no more about the evil sorceress... does she live, die, stay in the tower in Rapunzel's place as other versions suggest? Is there NO punishment for the stealing and imprisonment of a child? Are children just supposed to think this is OK?
I know that this is a fairytale, but this is also a retelling aimed at young, impressionable children. And this one was very disappointing. The more I think about it, the less I like it.
The only things I DID like about this were 1)the choice to place the story in an African village setting, rather than having yet another beautiful, blonde haired white girl as the main character; and 2) the collage style artwork, which I thought was great.
So two generously given stars for this blase retelling. -
Rapunzel has never been one of my favorite fairytales, though as a girl I was, of course, enchanted with the idea of having hair long enough and strong enough for someone to climb! ;-> Even so, I absolutely LOVED this book! The artwork is AMAZING! It really transported me--magic and princes riding zebras, the African sun--such gorgeous, gorgeous colors. I don't think that the retelling itself is anything that spectacular, other than the setting; paired with less inspired or more traditional artwork it would probably be nothing special. There is no "girl power" in this story (unless you count the evil witch, haha!) and it's pretty much the love-at-first-sight (though at least the prince supposedly falls for her beautiful singing voice and not just her good looks). But, oh well--I don't think such stories should be abolished completely.
One caution for parents who are not familiar with the story: Rapunzel does become pregnant after the prince comes up to visit o' nights... In this story, they do decide to get married at first sight and "exchange their wedding vows" so it is all on the up-and-up. -
Ah, growing up in the sanitized 1950s: my version of Rapunzel, read to me when I was about 4 years old, had no pregnancy. Horrors! The how of the pregnancies in this book are also appropriately sanitized.
I’m not a huge fan of this fairy tale, or fairy tales I general, but this retelling is good enough, and short enough for the shortest attention spans.
The illustrations are what makes this book so great. I love African art, and the amazing collages in this book do look like African art. The setting here is Africa and the author-illustrator spent a decade living on that continent. I can’t say enough good things about the artwork in this book. It’s fabulous. The art is so deserving of at least 5 stars that it pains me to give this book any less than 5 stars. However, the story is kind of pedestrian, so it’s only 4 stars. But the art is extraordinary!!! -
3.5 out of 5
I love the colors! And a prince on a zebra, haha :))) -
This was my first time reading this version of Rapunzel, written and illustrated by Caldecott Award winner Rachel Isador. This book caught my eye while searching for different versions on Google and I found a video read-aloud version on Youtube. The quality of the video was not the best, but I was able to see the illustrations and text clearly and understand the reader.
When glancing at the cover, the illustrations immediately reminded me of Eric Carle's work, with bright colors and texture. The collage style of the illustrations brings depth, movement, and intricateness. The colors compliment the African setting with the dark orange sun, bright green palm trees, and patterned clothing.
The storyline remains close to the original, with Rapunzel as the protagonist who is taken from her parents as a child and kept in a tall tower by a sorceress. Isador weaves in elements of African culture, such as a zebra as the prince's stead and dreadlocks rather than long golden hair.
I preferred this story to the original because of the illustrations and setting. I would use it in a classroom of elementary aged students have students read the original version and compare and contrast the two stories using a venn diagram. -
Such a cute retelling story of Rapunzel! I enjoy reading is so much! It was dark/light type of story.
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This version of Rapunzel is written by the Brothers Grimm and retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora. This story is about Repunzal living in Africa, although the book does not state she is African based on the illustrations lets us know the that setting is in Africa . The story gives a slight twist on Repunzal, and the prince fairy tale. They refer to the witch as a sorceress and Rapunzels, hair hung down with African beads on it. I think this is a good book for children ages 3-7. I think the pictures in this book are amazing and I like they way the story ends with the family winning..
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I love Rachel Isadora's re-tellings of classic fairy tales. This is the third one I've seen and each is a nice, simplified version of the story, something that is hard to find sometimes with folklore. I also love her African settings and portrayals - setting the story in a new culture makes it fresh. In Rapunzel, I was especially struck by Rapunzel's long braids, perfect for climbing. The gorgeous and colorful collages of painted and textured paper bring the African locale to life.
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Well. One simple swap out and the text takes on some heavy issues. Hair is an area already fraught with culture, politics, gender norms, class issues, and money. Throw in ethnicity and it becomes even more of a fray.
Isadora places the Rapunzel tale in Africa and so the tower-length hair is much different then you usually see. Beautiful illustrations show how flexible the story is and suggest that there is no reason a girl in a fairy tale must be blonde. -
Based quite closely on the Grimms version of Rapunzel, but set in Africa. My students enjoyed comparing and contrasting this with Zelinsky's version of Rapunzel. I really liked the illustrations...very different in style from Zelinsky's, but very bright and colorful.
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I didn't quite remember this version of Rapunzel so I liked reading one I'm not familiar with. LOVED the illustrations; I haven't seen anything quite like this style.
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I love this Caribbean/Afrocentric tale of Rapunzel! I think it’s paramount that children of color read books that parallels with or within their culture and recognize literature that is representing them. It creates a stronger desire for children to learn.
The Afrocentric twist to Rapunzel captivated my one year old and 7yr old twins. The book is colorful, creative and amazing. I actually enjoyed the story line myself. -
the art style was what drew me to the book, and that was seemingly the only interesting thing about the story. the author didn't change much from the orginal source material except for the characters being poc. so points for representation but no points for substance.
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Kids want to give this book 5 stars based on their enthusiasm levels. Both boys and girls wanted to check this book out. But I really hate this book. Changing a sexist story from Euro-centric to African-centric in terms of the protagonists doesn't make the story better. The story is still about parents surrendering their child in a dirty deal. It's still about kidnapping. It's still about "love at first sight" - a trope that reads as more stalkerish and rapey rather than realistic love. The reward for enduring horrible crimes committed against her person is for Rapunzel to eventually marry the prince who loved her at first sight. She is rewarded for all of her travails by snagging the local prince.
Yuck! If I could give this book -5 stars, I would.
But kids want this book. A lot!
blechk -
Lots of Kids books gonna be on this feed in the next few years since I'm Daddin' hard so be warned.
So the missus was saying that she wished this one was not just updated by the African locale, but also updated in terms of current social norms. I totally agree with her, but I also think that if we're going to update Grimm fairy tales it's almost more subversive to actually dig into the original texts, which can be very intentionally nasty, and very unintentionally retrograde to our current way of thinking.
So I kind of like the weird storytelling quality here, and frankly Isadora wins both Dad and Bebe over with her absolutely incredible collage-based illustrations. One of the more stunning examples of artwork in a kids' book I've seen since starting this. -
I like Rachel Isadora's books but this one didn't feel quite right. The illustrations are beautiful, I love the dreads, the culture jumping off the pages. What concerns me is a fairy tale not original to the culture in which it is presenting; rewriting the story to fit an African perspective, and changing the evil witch to an evil sorcerer. So I ask, how is "sorcery" viewed in the culture that is depicted on the pages? Sorcery is the use of magic (usually black). How do you define magic in an Afrocentrism/tribal community? There are some tales that should NEVER be applied to other cultures simply because they are a popular form of fairy tale, embraced through Eurocentrism.
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Isadora stays true to the classic version of the tale of Rapunzel but changes the setting to take place in Africa which heavily influences the style of art in this book. It was wonderful to see more children's books that not only had protagonists as people of color but also included other cultures. The artwork is very distinct, appearing to be a collage out of different textures of paper. It's no wonder that this book was awarded the Caldecott medal. I think many ages would enjoy this book whether it's for the story or the illustrations.
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Based on the classic fairytale, Rapunzel, this version takes a darker approach with the same archetypical characters and plot. With a few twists, like the prince riding a zebra, you will find creative and lively illustrations with fun characters and a classic feel. However, what really makes this book stand out and add to the story is the art style that is beautifully done in beautiful African style and is the highlight of this picture book.
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Copyright: 2008
Genre: Traditional Literature
Comment: The original tale of Rapunzel in an African setting. This book tells the tale but the differences is the culture aspect. The beautiful illustrations of the culture and setting is amazing. I enjoyed this story over the original tale.
Used: Great children's book to use to use as a Compare and Contrast assignment using a Venn Diagram. I would have students compare and contrast the American Rapunzel to the African Rapunzel. -
2/15/2019 ~ A fairly straightforward retelling of the classic European Brothers Grimm tale. However, the setting and characters are African. Isadora's cut paper collage illustrations are stunning and vivid.
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This traditional literature book would be good to use with grades K-3. One unique feature of the book is the setting because the story takes place in an African setting. This offers a different viewpoint to the story of Rapunzel.
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A classic retelling of the traditional Brothers Grimm tale, but set in Africa. The storytelling isn't super innovative or compelling, which in this case isn't necessarily a bad thing. The illustrations are beautiful and I love that Rapunzel's long hair is styled in dreadlocks.
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This adaptation of the classic fairy tale was very interesting! I would read it again!
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I love this Rapunzel! And it is just the right length to read to a Rapunzel-obsessed 3 year old - all the other versions were freakishly long. Thanks to my children's staff for the recommendation.
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This tale of Rapunzel, based on the German version by The Brothers Grimm in an African setting, was retold and illustrated by the award winning illustrator Rachel Isadora in 2008. This version of Rapunzel was a Caldecott Honor award winning book, and it received a positive recommendation in Kirkus Reviews as well.
In this version of the tale of Rapunzel, the story begins with a man and woman that wished for a long time to have a baby, and finally their wish was granted and the wife was pregnant. They lived in a hut next to a beautiful garden that belonged to a “wicked” sorceress, and no one was brave enough to ever enter the garden. The wife longed for some of the rapunzel growing in the sorceress’ garden and she became very ill until her husband was brave enough to go into the garden and get some rapunzel for her. It was on the second time that he dared enter the garden to retrieve more rapunzel for his wife that he was caught by the wicked sorceress, and he had to promise his child to the sorceress. “Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun.” When she was twelve the sorceress locked her in a high tower and Rapunzel wound her beautiful long hair around a hook to let the sorceress climb up when she called out. A few years later a prince was riding by the tower. The prince returned every day and one day watched the sorceress climb up to and the following day the prince called up like the sorceress. Although Rapunzel was frightened at first, he was kind and Rapunzel was no longer afraid and she agreed to marry him in the tower. The prince visited every night and the sorceress every day and the sorceress did not find out about the prince until Rapunzel asked for help with her dress that was getting tighter. The sorceress called her a “thankless child because she realized that Rapunzel was with child”. She cut off her hair and left Rapunzel alone in the wilderness. The sorceress returned and tricked the prince with her hair and with the news that he would never see his wife again, he threw himself off of the tower. Although the prince escaped with his life, he was blinded by the thorns he fell on and he wandered through the African wilderness for years. Until one day he heard Rapunzel’s beautiful voice and her tears of joy cured his blindness and the prince took Rapunzel and his twins away to his kingdom.
This version of Rapunzel was told through the beautiful multi-media collage style with bright, bold colors. The African setting with the huts and characters portrayed in the traditional dress with Rapunzel’s beautiful dark hair decorated with the bold colors could only be experienced through the illustrations. This version’s demonstration of diversity was through the illustrations. Although the text did not say that Rapunzel had beautiful, long, dark hair, but the illustrations provided the visuals. The text did not say that the Prince rode in on a zebra, but the collage illustration of the prince coming to the hut tower on a zebra native to Africa added to this book. This version depended less on the words to tell the story and more on the illustrations to wonderfully express the beauty of Rachel Isadora’s craft. I would use this book to compare and contrast the characters of Rapunzel in this text to a more traditional version of the text with second through fourth graders. I would also compare the differences in settings of animals and nature in this version based in Africa versus another version based in Italy or France. I truly enjoyed this interpretation of Rapunzel with the setting in Africa. -
A Caldecott Honor Winner, Rachel Isadora, retells a version of "Rapunzel" in an African setting. A starving wife wishes to eat some rapunzel from a garden near their home. If she doesn't eat rapunzel, she believes she will die. This story is recommended for students of ages four to six years old, but I would still share this version with my students. My students are six, turning seven and this story has beautiful and intricate illustrations in which my students can see themselves in. I located this story on the Barnes and Noble website and was able to read the story through YouTube.
The African version of Rapunzel tells the story of a caring husband who tries to save his wife from illness. In exchange for his wife's health, he hands their baby over to the sorceress. As Rapunzel grew older, her long, black hair becomes a paramount part to the story. The author is able to illustrate her hair with incredible details through painting. In this version, Rapunzel realizes that her clothes become too tight and as punishment, the sorceress cuts off her hair. Will Rapunzel live happily ever after with the Prince? Blinded by the sorceress, another problem arises for the Prince. This version of "Rapunzel" does a delightuful job of highlighting characters of color and representations of different culture. -
Grade Level 1-3
Rapunzel is an well known fairy tale but in this adaption the plot twist has an dark turn and it's resolution has an deus ex machina or just fate complex. The book is written in third person and the illustration shows more of the emotions. I think the story didn't show the characters personalities but we can witness the struggle and their motives. It's like an outline that could be filled in with a thrilling personal adventure . I don't think it has any character development.
The art on the other hand is bold and striking. My favorite character is the Sorceress, because she is cruel with a reason. Did she blow the crime out of proportions? Yes but that's what makes her a great villain. She did not take any bull from anybody. The Sorceress illustration was passionate and unique to her presences. You cold feel the cruelty with her green red eyes and spiky hair. The illustration was great in composition. The lines were expressive and jagged, there's beautiful textures, and array of colors. Every frame sucks you into the world and the characters emotion. The kids would not look away and understand the mood of the story.
