In the story of Rapunzel a childless couple awaits the arrival of their firstborn. One day, the husband is caught stealing the salad greens, called Rapunzel, that his wife craves from the garden of the evil witch next door. The witch strikes a deal with the man, obtaining their firstborn child in return for all the Rapunzel the wife can eat. The child, growing up in captivity with the witch turns into a beautiful maiden with a voice of gold, and extraordinarily long hair. When a handsome prince passes through, the witch's cunningly-won custody arrangement starts to fall apart.
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"I liked this book. I never read or really heard the story of Rapunzel as a kid. All I knew was that she was in a tower/building locked up and would let down her long hair and the prince climbed up. The pictures really showed the sorceress's craziness. The only thing I wished was mentioned was when she took Rapunzel to the tower why she did that. All it said was when she reached the age of 12 she took her there to live. Although from the storyline of the book I presume it was so Rapunzel would not become pregnant."
— Megan (5 out of 5 stars)
" Beautiful, Renaissance-style illustrations. A pregnant woman begs her husband to get her some of the rapunzel growing in the witches garden. The witch catches the husband, but she lets him take the rapunzel when he agrees to give her the baby when she's born. The baby is named Rapunzel and the witch takes her away. At the age of 12, the witch puts Rapunzel in a tower with no door only a window. A prince hears Rapunzel singing and he visits her in the tower at night. The wtich finds out when Rapunzel complains that her clothing doesn't fit (aka she's pregnant). The witch cuts off Rapunzels hair and banishes her to the wilderness. When the prince comes to see Rapunzel, the witch lets down Rapunzel's braid for him to climb. When the witch tells him Rapunzel's gone, he's so upset he falls and becomes blind. He wanders into the wilderness where he eventually finds Rapunzel and their twin children. The family returns to civilization and everyone's happy. "
— Amanda, 2/17/2014" beautiful pictures and retelling of the traditional story "
— Theresa, 2/12/2014" I remember reading stories of Rapunzel when I was a child and the only thing I could think of was how much I would hate to have people climbing up my hair... that had to hurt! Right?! But even now, this is not one of my favorite stories. However, the illustrations by Zelinsky are remarkable. Very detailed, colorful, and full of expression. After the story Zelinsky provides information about the story of Rapunzel and the adaptations that have been made over the years. I thought this was nice (mainly for adults) because when we hear Rapunzel we often think either of Grimm's or Disney. It was interesting to get some background to where this story really came from. "
— Kristanne, 2/8/2014" I absolutely loved the detail in the illustrations of this book! I think that even without the text, one is able to discern and create the story from merely the illustrations. I think this classic fairy tale portrays a great example of love, both of Rapunzel's father to his mother and the Prince to Rapunzel. The characters made great sacrifices and went to great lengths for the ones they loved. "
— JoAnn, 2/8/2014" This is a faithful retelling of Grimm's famous fairytale. The illustrations are amazing, with intricate borders around each picture and text panel. Dark tones with colorful details are the mainstay of each picture. Each has a wonderfully old-world feel in the manner of stained-glass windows or a tapestry from Europe. The borders remind me of the beautiful details and patterns on traditional Scandinavian clothing. "
— Emily, 2/2/2014" This is a scary fairy tale that I have read twice but one that my kids did not liek much. "
— Jaime, 1/27/2014" I liked the pictures and I liked the way the prince found Rapunzel at the end "
— Stella, 1/24/2014" In this version, a witch takes the baby Rapunzel as punishment for stealing rampion, which the book explains is used for salads. Also, at the end, the prince goes blind, but then meets Rapunzel and her tears cause him to regain his sight. "
— Kirei, 1/17/2014" One of those tales you read over and over through the years in many different versions, yet the true essence of the tale remains "
— Marts, 12/22/2013" I enjoyed this retelling of the Grimm Brothers' Rapunzel, and the illustrations are beautiful! "
— Lesley, 12/20/2013" This book was a good read. The illustrations really helped this story a lot. Along with the words the pictures really brought the book to life. It gives the children a lot to look at with its in depth artwork. A good book for children! "
— Melissa, 12/5/2013" A classic retelling with BEAUTIFUL illustrations "
— Alice, 11/12/2013" A classic retelling of Rapunzel with beautiful illustrations. "
— Laura, 8/30/2013" Loved the illustrations. (: "
— Lauren, 8/19/2013" I don't think I was ever dazzled by this tale. Had to give it another try. Still not dazzled. I was reminded that Rapunzel told the witch about the prince... Foolish woman! "
— Jane, 5/21/2013" these guys wrote a lot, huh? "
— RK, 1/25/2013Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was a German philologist, jurist, and mythologist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm’s law (linguistics), the co-author with his brother Wilhelm of the monumental Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie and, more popularly, as one of the Brothers Grimm and the editor of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.