What do you think?
Rate this book
Rapunzel
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair.... She was taken from her parents at birth, the penalty that her father was forced to pay for stealing from a forbidden garden. She was raised by a powerful enchantress and locked away in a lonely tower. The only stairway up or down was her own golden tresses. There she grew up, innocent and beautiful, knowing nothing of the world until a handsome prince heard her sad, sweet song through the tower window.... Many generations have shared the wonder of the Grimms' classic fairy tale. But never before have its beauty and mystery been illuminated so hauntingly as in Kris Waldherr's remarkable illustrations and moving retelling.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 1989
1 person is currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Amy Ehrlich
61 books27 followersAmy Ehrlich is the author of more than thirty books for young readers and is also a winner of The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for her novel Joyride, which was also chosen Booklist Choice Best Book of the Decade. She lives on a farm in Northern Vermont with her husband and a great many domestic and agricultural animals.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 11, 2019
I recently came across this adaptation of the classic fairy tale from the Brother Grimm, retold by Amy Ehrlich and illustrated by Kris Waldherr. Although by no means the equal of Paul Zelinsky's marvelous version, with its Caldecott Medal-winning illustrations, this Rapunzel has its own modest charm.
The tale of a young girl given over to the care of a witch in exchange for the savory herbs her mother craved while pregnant with her, and who is imprisoned in a high tower until rescued by a handsome prince, has many variants worldwide. The Grimm version is here quite accurately represented - the witch is called Mother Gothel, and the prince and Rapunzel wander in the wilderness for a time before finding one another again.
Waldherr's illustrations, created with colored pencils, watercolors and pastels, have a lovely, meditative quality. Overall, well worth a look for fairytale fans who, like me, like to examine many different illustrated versions of the same tale.
The tale of a young girl given over to the care of a witch in exchange for the savory herbs her mother craved while pregnant with her, and who is imprisoned in a high tower until rescued by a handsome prince, has many variants worldwide. The Grimm version is here quite accurately represented - the witch is called Mother Gothel, and the prince and Rapunzel wander in the wilderness for a time before finding one another again.
Waldherr's illustrations, created with colored pencils, watercolors and pastels, have a lovely, meditative quality. Overall, well worth a look for fairytale fans who, like me, like to examine many different illustrated versions of the same tale.
May 28, 2025
This rating is for the edition retold by Amy Ehrlich and illustrated by Kris Waldherr.
October 25, 2012
Rapunzel
Main Characters: Rapunzel, the Witch, the Prince
POV: Third Person
Summary: “Rapunzel,” is Amy Ehrlich’s version of the classic Grimm’s Brother’s fairy tale. The story begins with a man and woman and the woman so badly wants to eat some of the rapunzel leaves from the evil witch’s forbidden plant. Although he does not want to, the man takes some rapunzel leaves for his wife. She loves them so much that she must have more, but the second time that the man steals the witch’s leaves, he is caught by the witch. The witch tells him the only way that she’ll let him go is if he gives her the man and woman’s first born child. The man agrees because is so scared. When the woman gives birth to their first daughter, the witch takes her and keeps her, secluded, in a high tower in the middle of the forest. The witch gains access to the tower by having Rapunzel let down her extremely long hair whenever she says, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel. Let down your long hair.” One day, a prince is walking through the forest and hears Rapunzel singing. He sees how the evil witch gains access to the tower and returns the next day to do the same. When Rapunzel realizes that it was the prince who climbs up instead of the witch, she is frightened at first, but then happy to have someone to talk. This continues until one day when Rapunzel makes a comment to the witch about her being heavier than the prince. The witch is furious and cuts off all of Rapunzel’s hair and abandons her in the forest by herself. The prince comes back the next day and the witch tricks him and lets down Rapunzel’s hair. When the prince reaches the top and realizes that it is the witch, not Rapunzel, the witch claws his eyes out and pushes him out of the tower. The prince survives the fall but is left roaming the forest by himself without his sight for years. Eventually, Rapunzel and the prince stumble upon each other and Rapunzel’s tears heal the prince’s eyes. The couple goes back the prince’s kingdom and lives happily ever after.
Classroom Uses/Themes: Although fairy tales are an important part of literature to study, I would be a little bit weary of using this exact version of, “Rapunzel,” in a younger age classroom because of the violent nature of how the witch gouges the prince’s eyes out. I would try to find a less graphic and more playful version of, “Rapunzel,” to use in any classroom, especially in younger classrooms.
Main Characters: Rapunzel, the Witch, the Prince
POV: Third Person
Summary: “Rapunzel,” is Amy Ehrlich’s version of the classic Grimm’s Brother’s fairy tale. The story begins with a man and woman and the woman so badly wants to eat some of the rapunzel leaves from the evil witch’s forbidden plant. Although he does not want to, the man takes some rapunzel leaves for his wife. She loves them so much that she must have more, but the second time that the man steals the witch’s leaves, he is caught by the witch. The witch tells him the only way that she’ll let him go is if he gives her the man and woman’s first born child. The man agrees because is so scared. When the woman gives birth to their first daughter, the witch takes her and keeps her, secluded, in a high tower in the middle of the forest. The witch gains access to the tower by having Rapunzel let down her extremely long hair whenever she says, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel. Let down your long hair.” One day, a prince is walking through the forest and hears Rapunzel singing. He sees how the evil witch gains access to the tower and returns the next day to do the same. When Rapunzel realizes that it was the prince who climbs up instead of the witch, she is frightened at first, but then happy to have someone to talk. This continues until one day when Rapunzel makes a comment to the witch about her being heavier than the prince. The witch is furious and cuts off all of Rapunzel’s hair and abandons her in the forest by herself. The prince comes back the next day and the witch tricks him and lets down Rapunzel’s hair. When the prince reaches the top and realizes that it is the witch, not Rapunzel, the witch claws his eyes out and pushes him out of the tower. The prince survives the fall but is left roaming the forest by himself without his sight for years. Eventually, Rapunzel and the prince stumble upon each other and Rapunzel’s tears heal the prince’s eyes. The couple goes back the prince’s kingdom and lives happily ever after.
Classroom Uses/Themes: Although fairy tales are an important part of literature to study, I would be a little bit weary of using this exact version of, “Rapunzel,” in a younger age classroom because of the violent nature of how the witch gouges the prince’s eyes out. I would try to find a less graphic and more playful version of, “Rapunzel,” to use in any classroom, especially in younger classrooms.
September 2, 2014
The story of Rapunzel is one that differs from each person that tells it. There is the new Disney version that differs from the original Brothers Grimm version. This version, which retells the Brothers Grimm version, does not leave out any of the details and elements that have always made a Brothers Grimm story a "Brothers Grimm Story." It starts with the typical mother and father that want a child, and an evil witch that is thrown into the story for an antagonist against our main character, Rapunzel. The witch raises Rapunzel and as always, the girl grows up beautiful and has the long golden hair we have come to know as the token detail in a Rapunzel story. Of course, when a Prince finds her hideout -the tower in which she is locked in- that is when the true drama and climax of the story begins.
The obvious main character of the story is Rapunzel, even though she hardly utters more than a few words in the entire story. It centralizes around her and what happens to her. However, you could argue that the witch is also a main character in the story, just the antagonist. She had more lines and was the key factor in driving the story along both in the beginning and in the end. There are moments where the witch almost seems kind and loving, but that quickly changes once the witch finds out about the prince having found Rapunzel in her tower.
Overall I enjoyed the book very much. I have always loved the darker and more realistic spin that the Grimm Brothers take on their fairy tale stories. Not always is there a happy ending and they show different morals and meanings that you can take out of it. There is also the blurred lines of good and evil. Not always is the bad character completely bad. This reflects in every day life. People are not all good, or all bad.
The obvious main character of the story is Rapunzel, even though she hardly utters more than a few words in the entire story. It centralizes around her and what happens to her. However, you could argue that the witch is also a main character in the story, just the antagonist. She had more lines and was the key factor in driving the story along both in the beginning and in the end. There are moments where the witch almost seems kind and loving, but that quickly changes once the witch finds out about the prince having found Rapunzel in her tower.
Overall I enjoyed the book very much. I have always loved the darker and more realistic spin that the Grimm Brothers take on their fairy tale stories. Not always is there a happy ending and they show different morals and meanings that you can take out of it. There is also the blurred lines of good and evil. Not always is the bad character completely bad. This reflects in every day life. People are not all good, or all bad.
March 13, 2012
This tells the classic tale of Rapunzel. While many other version choose to have a more cartoon look, these illustrations are very realistic looking. This book is appropriate for children Pre-K through 1st grade, or as long as the child is interested in fairy tales.
December 20, 2018
Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm
O chose this rating because it's a bit like every princess book maybe change how they found eachother.I like it because they found their love (like every princess book) and they lived happily ever after!
O chose this rating because it's a bit like every princess book maybe change how they found eachother.I like it because they found their love (like every princess book) and they lived happily ever after!
February 27, 2015
A very un-witchy witch. Rather bland illustrations.
April 20, 2011
See my review on http://onthebroomstick.blogspot.com/
September 30, 2012
This version had ho-hum pictures, and it left out the pregnancy of Rapunzel.
September 26, 2015
Interesting to see the original version. Never read this before.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews