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Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel
“You live in a tower without a stair,
Sugar Cane, Sugar Cane, let down your hair.”
Stolen away from her parents on her first birthday by island sorceress Madam Fate, beautiful Sugar Cane grows up in a tower overlooking the sea. With only a pet green monkey named Callaloo for company, Sugar Cane is lonely—her only consolation is her love of music. Often she stands at her window and sings, imagining that the echo of her voice is someone answering her. Then one night, someone does hear her song, but could this young man with a gift for music break the spell of Madam Fate and help Sugar Cane set herself free? Patricia Storace’s lyrical and poignant retelling of the Rapunzel tale in a Caribbean setting is perfectly matched with Raúl Colón’s lush illustrations. An unforgettable feast for the senses.
Sugar Cane, Sugar Cane, let down your hair.”
Stolen away from her parents on her first birthday by island sorceress Madam Fate, beautiful Sugar Cane grows up in a tower overlooking the sea. With only a pet green monkey named Callaloo for company, Sugar Cane is lonely—her only consolation is her love of music. Often she stands at her window and sings, imagining that the echo of her voice is someone answering her. Then one night, someone does hear her song, but could this young man with a gift for music break the spell of Madam Fate and help Sugar Cane set herself free? Patricia Storace’s lyrical and poignant retelling of the Rapunzel tale in a Caribbean setting is perfectly matched with Raúl Colón’s lush illustrations. An unforgettable feast for the senses.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 27, 2019
Beautiful retelling of Rapunzel - in Island style and rhythm. "You live in a tower without a stair. Sugar Cane, Sugar Cane, let down your hair.
January 19, 2014
Holy crap, best picture-book Rapunzel ever. Has that strange, flat matter-of-fact fairy-tale affect, but it's paired with the most lush and gorgeous language -- not quite sure how Patrician Storace managed this. I was about to say that it definitely has Caribbean flavor, but it's way more than flavor; the place-ness is totally embedded in the story, so it doesn't feel like a white European tale with black characters grafted on. And it is just delicious, with the food (mangos and coconut and black cake) and the glittering jewels and descriptions of flowy hair and kind magical adults along with the evil and absent ones. Princess-obsessed little girls will love it, but Storace has sneaked in quite a lot of feminist good stuff with the sparkly stuff (the prince ASKS to come in to the tower! the princess rescues herself!) while staying true to the bones of the story. And for dreamy, ravishing real-surreal textured illustration, you cannot beat Raul Colon. Swoony.
May 11, 2015
The illustrations were gorgeous and really helped evoke the Caribbean island setting, and the story line was a good mix of the traditional Rapunzel tale and new twists. However, it was quite long. We read it in two settings and even then it felt long. We liked it, but it was definitely long for a bedtime story.
April 5, 2019
Plan on an hour for read aloud. Beautiful illustrations.
January 9, 2021
“Come, sit on the balcony and look out over the sea. I have a story to tell y ou. It happens on an island where the waves follow each other, one after another, to the sandy shore. The waves are always beginning a story that never comes to an end. You can hear them when they touch the shore, saying Once … Once … Once …”
With an introduction like that, how can you help but continue to read? This was a refreshing, delightful, stunning retelling of the Rapunzel story I knew from childhood; the story populated by a very white-colored girl. The beauty of Sugar Cane’s story soothes away the haunting part of her being kidnapped for a wrong her father committed. I focused on the music and singing, the intricate jewels brought to her by her rescuer, the sweetness of her pet monkey. I barely registered the nastiness and evil of Madame Fate which so terrified me in previous tellings. Also, the ending here? If this is how Rapunzel ended in the tale I read as I child? Well, I sure do not remember it! This is far more worthy of a storybook ending.
A big thank you to Raúl Colón for illustrating this gorgeous book. Without his name on the cover, I would have missed the opening words that pulled me out to sea … and into a tremendous retelling of a classic fairy tale.
With an introduction like that, how can you help but continue to read? This was a refreshing, delightful, stunning retelling of the Rapunzel story I knew from childhood; the story populated by a very white-colored girl. The beauty of Sugar Cane’s story soothes away the haunting part of her being kidnapped for a wrong her father committed. I focused on the music and singing, the intricate jewels brought to her by her rescuer, the sweetness of her pet monkey. I barely registered the nastiness and evil of Madame Fate which so terrified me in previous tellings. Also, the ending here? If this is how Rapunzel ended in the tale I read as I child? Well, I sure do not remember it! This is far more worthy of a storybook ending.
A big thank you to Raúl Colón for illustrating this gorgeous book. Without his name on the cover, I would have missed the opening words that pulled me out to sea … and into a tremendous retelling of a classic fairy tale.
November 30, 2019
Wow, the ART in this is sooo beautiful! I've only seen a few other children's books this beautiful. Very few.
Content warnings:
use of the Roma slur
Sugar Cane is a fairly straightforward reinterpretation of Rapunzel set in the Caribbean. There's a few cute and surprising little changes, but altogether it's Rapunzel (whether that's good or bad is up to you). The writing is pretty good - sometimes beautiful - but what really does stand out is the art. The colors and textures in each picture make everything interesting to look at - over and over again. I'm almost tempted to get this for a friend just for that.
Anyway, I love the increase of multicultural children's books, and I hope the number of them continues to rise. Kids of all kinds deserve to see themselves in all sorts of stories!
Content warnings:
use of the Roma slur
Sugar Cane is a fairly straightforward reinterpretation of Rapunzel set in the Caribbean. There's a few cute and surprising little changes, but altogether it's Rapunzel (whether that's good or bad is up to you). The writing is pretty good - sometimes beautiful - but what really does stand out is the art. The colors and textures in each picture make everything interesting to look at - over and over again. I'm almost tempted to get this for a friend just for that.
Anyway, I love the increase of multicultural children's books, and I hope the number of them continues to rise. Kids of all kinds deserve to see themselves in all sorts of stories!
April 28, 2021
Evie, Lillian, and I loved this book. So beautiful.
August 28, 2024
Beautiful artwork & a masterful twist on the classic.
July 10, 2025
i think this has been my longest read yet! it was a very good book to calm down and take a mini nap during
March 2, 2015
This is an entertaining Caribbean version of the classic Grimm story of Rapunzel. The narrative is a bit long (I have to admit that I was falling asleep while I was reading it, but I was exhausted - the story is not boring.) Our oldest finished reading it aloud to us and the next morning, I picked up the story where I dropped off.
The gorgeously textured illustrations are terrific and really help to convey an island atmosphere. Overall, I thought the tale was well written and I was enchanted by the romance between Sugar Cane and King. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
The gorgeously textured illustrations are terrific and really help to convey an island atmosphere. Overall, I thought the tale was well written and I was enchanted by the romance between Sugar Cane and King. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
January 27, 2015
Lengthy folk tale version of Rapunzel set in the Caribbean. Full of gorgeous language, though I would have enjoyed more pictures to share with the kids and found myself condensing some sections. One picture of Madame Fate (who always wore a mask) was quite scary for bedtime. I never found myself really comparing this to other Rapunzel stories; it really stands alone as its own story.
July 4, 2008
I was never a fan of Rapunzel - too passive, too much hair! This retelling in a West Indian setting, however, exceeded my expectations. The story is fully and wonderfully developed, and the characters are far more interesting. Well done!
May 26, 2015
The illustrations are fantastic and the story wonderful. Music and art play a large roll in bringing our heroine and hero together.
November 5, 2019
My children liked this story, but it's very long for reading aloud.
October 20, 2021
Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel by Patricia Storace parallels the traditional tale in many ways but has cultural reference and beautiful illustrations by Raúl Colón. I came across this version of Rapunzel when searching Goodreads.
A young couple living in a rainbow-colored house on a beach are expecting their first child. When the wife tells her fisherman husband that the baby is craving sugar cane, he sets out to search for it in a forest. Sadly he takes sugar cane from the garden of Madame Fate, an evil sorceress who wears a mask. Rumors swirl about Madame Fate...she can make hurricanes, make sharks dance, and bring people back from the dead! In her anger over his theft, she promises to come for their baby upon her first birthday.
Since she had such a sweet tooth and craving during pregnancy, they named her Sugar Cane. They adored her and on her first birthday, her mother made her a sea-coral necklace the color of sunset and put it on her neck, her “skin as glowing and velvety as a black pansy.” The very next morning, they were awakened by a storm, and a masked woman towering over them. It was Madame Fate, as promised to take Sugar Cane away to a tower by the sea. The only companion to Sugar Cane would be a green pet monkey, and master teachers brought back from the dead. She was so lonely that singing and music became her company as her voice would float out over the water next to the tower until the day that King heard her.
Much like the original Rapunzel, this version follows the hero cycle where King comes to Rapunzel’s rescue. In upper elementary grades, we could analyze this story in relation to the hero cycle. Another compare and contrast that would be interesting in this age range would be with regard to the characters and setting in this version versus the traditional tale. The retell will be similar, but these elements will have clear distinctions.
When I was looking for different versions of Rapunzel, it was not easy to find many. It would be interesting to have high school students write their own version of Rapunzel. I would compel them to study the characters and setting in this version compared to the traditional tale, then ask them to write a version with their own twist. How can they make it unique to their culture, family traditions, tastes (sugar cane and rapunzel are foods), etc?
A young couple living in a rainbow-colored house on a beach are expecting their first child. When the wife tells her fisherman husband that the baby is craving sugar cane, he sets out to search for it in a forest. Sadly he takes sugar cane from the garden of Madame Fate, an evil sorceress who wears a mask. Rumors swirl about Madame Fate...she can make hurricanes, make sharks dance, and bring people back from the dead! In her anger over his theft, she promises to come for their baby upon her first birthday.
Since she had such a sweet tooth and craving during pregnancy, they named her Sugar Cane. They adored her and on her first birthday, her mother made her a sea-coral necklace the color of sunset and put it on her neck, her “skin as glowing and velvety as a black pansy.” The very next morning, they were awakened by a storm, and a masked woman towering over them. It was Madame Fate, as promised to take Sugar Cane away to a tower by the sea. The only companion to Sugar Cane would be a green pet monkey, and master teachers brought back from the dead. She was so lonely that singing and music became her company as her voice would float out over the water next to the tower until the day that King heard her.
Much like the original Rapunzel, this version follows the hero cycle where King comes to Rapunzel’s rescue. In upper elementary grades, we could analyze this story in relation to the hero cycle. Another compare and contrast that would be interesting in this age range would be with regard to the characters and setting in this version versus the traditional tale. The retell will be similar, but these elements will have clear distinctions.
When I was looking for different versions of Rapunzel, it was not easy to find many. It would be interesting to have high school students write their own version of Rapunzel. I would compel them to study the characters and setting in this version compared to the traditional tale, then ask them to write a version with their own twist. How can they make it unique to their culture, family traditions, tastes (sugar cane and rapunzel are foods), etc?
May 12, 2018
This is the story of Sugar Cane, the infant child of a fisherman and his wife who live on a small island in the Caribbean. Before Sugar Cane was born, her mother craved sugar cane. Since sugar cane wasn't found near where they lived, her father would travel the island in search for sugar cane. One day, he happens upon a beautiful gated house with fields of flowers and sugar cane. He knocked on the door but no one answered, so he decided that it would be okay to take some sugar cane. He continued to return to the house a few more times until one day a tall woman wearing a mask and lizards following her stopped him from leaving. It was the home of Madame Fate, a famous sorceress in the Caribbean. Madame Fate tells the fisherman that he will pay for stealing the sugar cane. She advised that she would come for his child on her first birthday. True to her word, Madame Fate returns a year later and takes Sugar Cane to live in her tower. There, Sugar Cane is not allowed to leave but it tutored by famous spirits that teach her music, writing, poetry, cooking, and math. One night while Sugar Cane was feeling helpless and lonely, she hears beautiful music coming from the sea. It is the King of Song, named King playing his guitar. As King was playing his song that he had just made up, he hears a beautiful voice begin to sing the words of his song. King approached the girl who lets her hair down for him to climb the tower. Sugar Cane and King instantly become attracted to each other. There meetings continue every few days until one day Madame Fate learns of King and cuts Sugar Cane's hair. Upset, Sugar Cane finds a way to escape the tower by using a ladder she made from her hair. As she is leaving, Madame fate casts a spell on the tower and the tower crumbles. Sugar Cane manages to get free but now is in the city not knowing what things are and how to find King. Sugar Cane becomes lonely again unable to find King until one day months later she goes to her favorite place in the city to play her guitar. As she is playing, she hears a beautiful man's voice begin to sing. As she sees the man she notices it is King. As the story goes, "They live happily ever after."
May 17, 2024
“Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel,” was written by Patricia Storage and illustrated by Raul Colon. I read the hardcopy from my local library and read a review by wordpress.com. This book was a delight to read, unique from the original. It really took you to another place, experiencing the famous tale from the Caribbean.
As usual, the story’s backbone still followed the original version of Rapunzel. The greedy mother who wanted Rapunzel, not knowing the price of attaining some, her husband’s unfortunate interaction with the witch (Madame Fate), Sugar Cane being taken by the witch, and the unfolding of the wonderful love story. The beauty that separates this tale from the original is its own twist, a twist that takes you to the world of the Caribbean. First of all, the protagonists’ name is not Rapunzel. Her name is Sugar Cane. It’s only right to name her that because you don’t find Rapunzel in the Caribbean! There are so much more Caribbean traditional touches that were added or changed to make this story more interesting to read! Dancing, the spirit world, magic and such.
The illustration was different from most books in that it is 'textured’ with patterns of lines, conveying the water of the Caribbean. Each page is colorful with tones upon different tones of the same color. This story is intended for grades 1-3rd grade. It would be a great book to have for a few reasons. It exposes the students to the Caribbean and their culture. This would also be a good way to talk about greed, and a lesson for the students to make their own version of Rapunzel, using their own background and culture or to simply change the original version!
As usual, the story’s backbone still followed the original version of Rapunzel. The greedy mother who wanted Rapunzel, not knowing the price of attaining some, her husband’s unfortunate interaction with the witch (Madame Fate), Sugar Cane being taken by the witch, and the unfolding of the wonderful love story. The beauty that separates this tale from the original is its own twist, a twist that takes you to the world of the Caribbean. First of all, the protagonists’ name is not Rapunzel. Her name is Sugar Cane. It’s only right to name her that because you don’t find Rapunzel in the Caribbean! There are so much more Caribbean traditional touches that were added or changed to make this story more interesting to read! Dancing, the spirit world, magic and such.
The illustration was different from most books in that it is 'textured’ with patterns of lines, conveying the water of the Caribbean. Each page is colorful with tones upon different tones of the same color. This story is intended for grades 1-3rd grade. It would be a great book to have for a few reasons. It exposes the students to the Caribbean and their culture. This would also be a good way to talk about greed, and a lesson for the students to make their own version of Rapunzel, using their own background and culture or to simply change the original version!
October 27, 2019
This book was a great spin on the traditional story of Rapunzel. Sugar Cane has long curly hair and brown skin making her relatable to many little girls who lack princesses that look like them. The main character and the illustrations in this book are just beautiful, it was truly my favorite part, the little girl in me fell in love, not only with the amazing illustrations but the eloquent story telling used throughout. The culture displayed in the book is rich and I love how the author tied in traditional Caribbean dishes and foods as names for the characters. This story gives a fresh view on Rapunzel and is a great read for all children, especially to expose them to different cultures!
June 6, 2020
This is a wonderful book. It's visually stunning. It turns out Rapunzel is a story you can find several different adaptations of. This version retains enough of the original story to be recognizable, but has a definite Caribbean sense to it. It's really just beautiful.
I was very disappointed in the movie Tangled when the main character's hair turns brown (from blonde) when she loses her magic. My little dark-haired kid picked up on this stuff and felt hurt by it early on. We got this book, and we made her a Rapunzel wig with all kinds of beautiful dark yarn.
This book is so beautiful that it's definitely one I'd consider giving as a gift.
I was very disappointed in the movie Tangled when the main character's hair turns brown (from blonde) when she loses her magic. My little dark-haired kid picked up on this stuff and felt hurt by it early on. We got this book, and we made her a Rapunzel wig with all kinds of beautiful dark yarn.
This book is so beautiful that it's definitely one I'd consider giving as a gift.
October 14, 2017
I absolutely adored this book. I am so glad to finally see a book that girls of all ethnicities can relate to. It is the typical story of Rapunzel but altered in a way to grab the attention of a new group of readers. Although this book was a bit longer than I expected, it is a great read and worth the time. The incorporation of the Caribbean lifestyle was wonderful. It was so well put together and I believe all readers will have a new found appreciation for the Carribbean culture. This is a must read.
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March 23, 2017This is a Caribbean fairy tale story that is similar to Rapunzel, but it has a twist on it. This story is about a woman who is pregnant with a daughter by the name of Sugar Cane. She knew that when she delivered her daughter that she would want Sugar Cane so she sent her husband out to buy some. He visit a different place to pick out the sugar cane and ended up getting caught by a sorceress who threatened that she would take Sugar Cane away once she turned one. She kept her promise, kidnapped her, and locked her up in a tower. Sugar Cane grew up and decided to escape and she met a man who would visit her in the tower. They fell in love and started a new life. I would recommend students who are in the second grade and higher to read this story because it contains a lot of words.
December 3, 2018
Genre: Traditional Literature
Grade Level: 1-5
I really enjoyed this twist on a traditional fairy tale. It gives a new look into a different culture and also gives the little girls from Caribbean decent someone that looks like them. It is also a little different than the known fairy tale; however that could be because of the cultural difference. It is a good book and I would recommend to many girls.
Grade Level: 1-5
I really enjoyed this twist on a traditional fairy tale. It gives a new look into a different culture and also gives the little girls from Caribbean decent someone that looks like them. It is also a little different than the known fairy tale; however that could be because of the cultural difference. It is a good book and I would recommend to many girls.
March 8, 2021
We are doing a fairytale project this year. We take around a month for each fairytale, and we read as many retellings as we can. I try to find books from other cultures as well as unorthodox retellings, and we compare the different versions. This is my favorite Rapunzel story we have read. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is full of rich language. I will say that it is much longer than I was expecting. But my kids and I all loved it.
October 14, 2017
I really loved this story. It is the story if Rapunzel but with a young girl named Sugar Cane who is stolen by a sorceress on her first birthday. She is forced to live in a tower with a monkey as her only friend. She loves to sing and then one night a man hears her singing. The illustrations were really great and the story taking place in the Caribbean put a great twist on this beloved classic.
March 16, 2018
This is just what a fairy tale retelling, set in a different culture from the original story should be. All the basis elements on the original are there but the details are unique to the culture of the Caribbean. I could hear an old story teller sitting in her rocking chair at sunset telling all the island children about the girl in the doorless tower.
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September 25, 2022An interesting take on the classic story of Rapunzel. I love that it is an interpretation and not a copy. They made it their own and made it make sense to have the characters be people of color. It was really wordy but would be interesting to use with older kids.
May 12, 2023
A Caribbean version of the "Rapunzel" fairy tale. In this version Rapunzel is named Sugar Cane because her mother craved sugar cane during her pregnancy. I quite like this version and the illustrations are beautiful.
September 10, 2024
I love the illustrations, but there is a lot of text in this long story. The story focuses heavily on the romance, which is sweet.
The only messages I got from this one are don't steal, and magical forces make everything work out alright in the end.
The only messages I got from this one are don't steal, and magical forces make everything work out alright in the end.
September 22, 2025
True to the title, a Caribbean Rapunzel story with elements of spirituality, multiculturalism & magic/bruja/conjure. The illustrations beautifully enliven the story. Sad I didn’t read it sooner or when I was a kid.
April 16, 2020
Great Multicultural fairy tale. Loved the elements of the Caribbean.
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