Rapunzel
Author Brothers Grimm, Retold by Paul O. Zelinsky
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Publisher: Dutton
Date: 1998
Awards: ALA Notable Book, Caldecott Medal Book (1998).
Ages: All Ages
Topics: picture book, folk tales, Grimm folk tale, fairy tales
Summary: Explore a journey through the world of dreams and memories to Tibet.
Book Connections
- Paul O. Zelinsky - Official Website
Information about the book and lots of visuals from the book. - Paul Zelinsky - Rapunzel
Information about the author and the book - Rapunzel (Book) from Wikipedia
Topic Connections
- Brothers Grimm from Wikipedia
- Grimm's Fairy Tales from Wikipedia
- Fairy Tales by the Grimm Brothers
- Grimm's Fairy Tales from National Geographic
- Grimm's Fairy Tales
- Grimm Stories.com
- Grimm's Fairy Tales from Wikisource
Rapunzel Retellings
- The Annotated Rapunzel
A retelling of the original story, illustrations, modern interpretations, history - Fairy Tale Physics: Myths and Legends Explained from National Geographic
- Rapunzel from Wikipedia
Explores different versions of the story - Rapunzel Varients Booklist from Allen County Public Library
Renaissance Paintings
- Renaissance Paintings from Wikipedia
- Masaccio from Wikipedia
- Rembrandt from Wikipedia
- Raphael from Wikipedia
- Rapunzel was based on Rembrandt's Agatha Bas
- Opening scene was based on Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride
- Final scene was based on Raphael's Madonna of the Meadows
- Final scene was based on Raphael's Madonna and Child with the Young St. John
- Prince in Wilderness was based on Masaccio's Expulsion from Paradise
Learning Connections
- Compare Stories. Compare different retellings of this story. How are they alike and different? How do the illustrations impact the storytelling? Go to The Annotated Rapunzel for ideas.
- Fairy Tales. A fairy tale involves something extraordinary. Does Rapunzel qualify? What do you see that's fact and fiction in the story based on the time period of the Grimm Brothers?
- Flannel Board Story. Create a flannel board or puppet retelling of the story.
- Fractured Fairy Tales. Many fairy tales are modern or alternative versions. Read some of these and write your own version of the story. Go to Fractured Fairy Tales & Fables with John Scieszka from Scholastic for ideas.
- The Masters as Inspiration. Zelinksy used the art of Rembrandt and other famous Renaissance artists as inspiration for the characters in the story. Compare the artwork to the book illustrations. Do you see the inspiration? Provide an example. Explore works of art of any time period. Use them as inspiration for telling your own story.
- Public Domain Characters. Let's say you want to sell a story that included a Disney character or a character from your favorite television show. Would this be legal? Probably not. The copyright law prevents people from using the characters created by others. However some characters are in the public domain. Check out the Public domain characters page at wikipedia. Use one of these characters in your own story.
- Satire. Watch the movie Shrek. How does this movie satirize fairy tales? Create your own movie satire based on fairy tales.
- Setting Makeover. What if the story were set in another time or place? Create your own story based on illustrations from another setting. What if Rapunzel were locked up in the top of a Redwood tree in California or the Empire State Building in New York? How would the story be different?
Teaching Connections
- Rapunzel from TeacherVision
- Try folk tales lessons:
Learn More
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