Book Review: Rapunzel
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What Parents Should Know
The story line is riveting, the language is powerful, and
the oil paintings are beautiful.
Common Sense Media Review
This classic tale retold brims with passion and grace, and
the emotional intensity of Paul O. Zelinsky's work is
bewitching.
Spectacular oil paintings, rich with color and light, dive below surface appearances to convey deep feelings and relationships. In one picture, the sorceress appears with her turquoise cape billowing, her cheeks sucked in, and her bulging eyes aglow. Readers may wish they could rescue the cowering prince from her wrath. The vividness of the illustrations is matched by a text that is simple yet elegant, dotted with words such as wretched and luxuriant.
Some children will find the language and the formal, Renaissance-style paintings a challenge, but for those kids who are able to take in this story, there's a lot (in addition to history and language skills) to be gained. Through all of the drama, children are offered an important lesson about love. Rage, grief, and jealousy flash through the story, but, in the end, it is love that prevails.
Zelinsky extensively researched the origin of this story and provides notes on the sources.
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