Rapunzel

by Rachel Isadora

Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora?s gorgeous collages breathe new life into this classic tale, capturing Rapunzel?s striking beauty and the lush African setting?a new home for this story?with wonderful details such as Rapunzel?s long dreadlocks and the prince?s noble steed?a zebra. Readers will delight in the vibrant illustrations, thrill at the appearances of the frightening sorceress, and chime in with the familiar line ?Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,? as they follow this well-loved tale.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Cultural, Fiction, Africa, Retellings

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 16, 2008

About the author

Rachel Isadora is an award-winning children's author and illustrator. She has written children's books on multiple topics including ballet, life in America and Africa, and has illustrated several Brother Grimm tales in an African setting. She is most well-known for her Caldecott Honor Award book "Ben's Trumpet". She was a ballet dancer before she became an illustrator and children's writer.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!!!

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5
I love the colors! And a prince on a zebra, haha :)))

[Maria Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute retelling story of Rapunzel! I enjoy reading is so much! It was dark/light type of story.

[Haji · Rating 4 out of 5]

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..

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Elle Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jennifer Worrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Brenda G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I located this fairytale in my local library called Gail Borden Library. I recommend this book for young readers ages 5 to 8.
This story was about a man and a woman who wanted a baby. When they had a baby, the mother became sick and was in high need of a rapunzel that was growing in the sorceress’ garden nearby. You will have to read it to find out what happens next.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It reminded me of a true fairytale from the old days. It had a problem and there was a solution which gave it a happy ending. I also had not seen a story about Rapunzel with characters of color, so that was refreshing. I think a student of color could identify with the characters in the story, such as the “princess.” This is a particularly important component of the story because we do not have enough books with princesses and princes of color. I like that the text was simple with some challenging words such as sorceress and approached. The setting for this tale could be described as vivid and dramatic, which really draws the eye. The theme was also magnificent. It can teach young children to persevere until they reach what they want/need.
The illustrations included collages of painted, textured paper. They could also be described as cut-paper artwork of Matisse. They are vibrant and evoke an archetypal African kingdom. They definitely made me feel warm while looking at them.
A teacher can use this book to teach about perseverance. Students could write about how they would persevere through a difficult situation. A teacher could also use this book to teach about fairy tales and how there are different stories to a fairy tale. Is it the “real story” or is it just the story that we have heard the most of? A teacher could also use this book to teach words such as sorceress or approached.

[Izzie Murk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This retelling of Rapunzel puts the Grimm Brothers' classic princess into an African kingdom. Isadora uses collages of painted textured paper to illustrate her story which makes it so vibrant and colorful in comparison other more traditional versions of the story. She keeps the dark parts of the story, such as the prince falling upon thorns causing him to lose his sight, while also maintaining a happy ending for the prince and Rapunzel. The illustrations are the element of this story that separates it from the other retellings of Rapunzel. They are so distinct and vibrant and give a whole new vision for Rapunzel different from the Disney version or other retellings. As an elementary teacher, I would use this story in the classroom to compare the different versions of the same story. Most children know the Disney version of Rapunzel, but they do not know the original or other versions of the same story. I would have students compare and contrast the plot elements, illustrations, characters, and the setting of the story. Isadora does an incredible job of creating a new world for a classic princess while keeping it appropriate for young readers.

[em · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Steph]

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

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Faith Tydings · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books in a series of fairy tale books that have been done by this author...each fairy tale stays true to the original Grimm's Brothers original stories but the artwork is fantastic. Each book is illustrated in an African style of art...they are beautiful books. Illustrations are big and colorful and do an exceptional job of complimenting the stories from a different cultural perspective! Loved it!

[Sierra Wishard · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Valerie Fatura · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[spookybelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Annie Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adaptation of the classic fairy tale was very interesting! I would read it again!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this version of Rapunzel retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora at the library, looking at different versions of Rapunzel for my Youth Literature graduate class. This version immediately stood out to me because I could see on the front illustration that Rapunzel did not have long blond hair like all the other versions I have read but had long black hair. This definitely intrigued me, so I started to read it.
This story of Rapunzel is set in Africa. A man and his wife wanted to have a baby. When the wife becomes pregnant, the wife becomes ill, and the only thing she craves is the rapunzel in the garden next store that belonged to a sorceress. When the husband gets caught picking the rapunzel out of the garden, the sorceress says he could keep it for his wife, but when the baby is born, the sorceress can keep the baby. The sorceress comes to get Rapunzel shortly after she is born. When Rapunzel turned twelve, the sorceress locked her in a tall tower with no door. When the sorceress wanted to get into the tower, she would yell up to Rapunzel to let down her long hair, and the sorceress would climb up her hair. Years passed, and one day, a prince heard Rapunzel singing in the tall tower. He stayed hidden and watched as the sorceress called for Rapunzel’s hair and climbed up it to get into the tower. Once the sorceress left, the prince tried the same thing, and it worked. Rapunzel and the Prince fell in love and got married in the tower. The prince would visit her every night. Once the sorceress found out this was happening due to the fact that Rapunzel was pregnant, she cut off Rapunzel’s hair and took her deep into the wilderness. The sorceress tricked the prince into the tower with the hair she cut off Rapunzel. The sorceress pushed the prince off the tall tower, and he landed in a thornbush, leaving him blind. The prince wandered the wilderness for years, blinded and by himself, until one day, he found Rapunzel and his twins. This brought Rapunzel to tears, and those tears heald the prince of his blindness. The prince led Rapunzel and the twins back to his kingdom, and they lived happily ever after.
This version of the story has some differences from the original story. This can mainly be seen in the illustrations. The plants, houses, animals, and people show you that this story is set in Africa. The use of different words like sorceress instead of witch and wilderness instead of forest also shows you the setting might be different. Isadora lived in Africa for ten years, so is credible when changing the setting of this story.
This story would be good to use when working on a comparing and contrasting lesson. You could read this version of Rapunzel and compare and contrast it to a more traditional version. You can also talk about why the Author might have chosen to change the parts that she did.

[Noa Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rapunzel, retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora, tells this traditional fairy tale in an African setting. I found this book by searching for different versions of the Rapunzel fairy tale. Rachel Isadora is a Caldecott Honor winner, but this book itself does not have any rewards so far.
Rapunzel tells the classic tale of a husband and wife who were expecting a child. The wife began to feel ill as she was pregnant and expressed that the only thing that would help her was the rapunzel from the garden that belonged to a wicked sorceress. Her husband went to get it, but the sorceress caught him and only agreed to let him take the rapunzel if they gave her their child when she was born. The man agreed, and they gave their daughter to the sorceress when she was born. The sorceress kept the girl in a tower with only a window. The sorceress would say, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," and Rapunzel would lower her long beautiful hair for the sorceress to climb up the tower. One day, a prince came across Rapunzel's tower, climbed up, and asked her to marry him. They got married, but when the sorceress found out, she removed Rapunzel from the tower and left her in the middle of nowhere. She was separated from her prince. Eventually, the prince found her and their children as he wandered through the wilderness.
While this storyline wasn't new to me, the change in setting was, and I enjoyed the illustrations and the change in setting. It was nice to see a fairy tale representing a non-white group of people. I could see this book making so many little Black girls happy by seeing hair that looks like theirs, along with a fairy tale princess that looks like them. The illustrations were beautiful, with lots of colors. The illustrations made it clear that the surrounding nature in the setting was a big part of the story.
One concern is that the author, Rachel Isadora, is American, while the story takes place in Africa. After researching her, I discovered she did live in Africa for some years; however, I am not sure her writing this tale presents authentic perspectives.
Given that this story doesn't dive deep into the characters, I think this book would be a great mentor text for understanding the concept of plot. In addition, according to the Common Core State Standards, learning and reading with fables, folktales, and myths from other cultures are specific learning targets for third graders to work on. In addition, as with most fairy tales, this text could be used to teach the concept of theme.

[10kbenhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of Rapunzel is set in Africa. Although it is not stated in text, the illustrations suggest an African setting. A man and wife become pregnant, and during the pregnancy, the wife becomes very ill. She longs for some fresh rapunzel, but the only place to get some is from the wicked sorceress’ garden. The husband sneaks into the garden in hopes of healing his wife, but he the wicked sorceress catches him. She makes him promise to give her their child when it is born in exchange for the rapunzel. The baby is named Rapunzel. The sorceress locks Rapunzel away in a high tower containing no doors or stairs. Rapunzel grows long, beautiful dread locks, and the only way to enter the tower is through a window. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” One day, the prince (who’s riding a zebra) hears Rapunzel’s beautiful singing. He calls for her to let down her hair. Rapunzel and the Prince fall in love, but the sorceress finds out when Rapunzel becomes pregnant. This was a new twist to the original story I have heard. The sorceress is furious. She cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and leaves her in the forest. In the end, Rapunzel and the prince are reunited. They live happily ever after with their twins.

The book contains beautiful African imagery. Isadora used bright, vivid colors and created pictures that give a sense of the African culture. I did love how Isadora placed this story in a different setting than the usual blonde-haired princess, but I wasn’t in love with the story itself. I felt like something was missing, and Rapunzel getting pregnant kind of threw me off.

[Samantha R · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.