This post was written as a Master's course assignment for Texas Woman's University.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Retold & Illustrated by Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN 0140558640
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Zelinsky's retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm story (1819) takes the reader back to a time long ago and far away, and begins with the classic line: "Once there was..." The poor father in the story, who works as a miller, somehow convinces the king that his daughter has the ability to spin straw into gold, and the king's interest is piqued. A greedy man, of course, the king wants to see this magical daughter making gold from straw, so he sets her up in a room and threatens her with her own death if she is unable to turn the entire straw-filled room into gold by morning.
As the girl weeps, a mysterious, tiny man appears and offers to help her, since he can, in fact, spin straw into gold. Bartering with the only valuables she owns- the jewelry she's wearing, the daughter convinces the tiny man to help her. This scene repeats itself, with each subsequent room larger than the last, leaving the king so impressed that, if the daughter can spin a third and final room, huge and overflowing with straw, into gold, he will marry her and make her queen.
Finally, the daughter has nothing left to barter, except for her firstborn child, and she takes the gamble, hoping that the little man will renege on his part of the bargain. He does not, however, and when he comes calling for the child, the queen is left with only one way out of the deal: to guess the tiny man's seemingly impossible name.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A "Cinderella" story of sorts, this retelling of the classic story bears the elements of a poor woman, rising up from nothing and becoming queen, with the help of a little magic. The fairy godmother in this case is a tiny, greedy man, whose main focus is not exactly to help a poor maiden to become queen, but mostly to advance himself in life, using his wiles and magic skills.
As is typical of a grim "Grimm" story, there is the gruesome threat of death to the maiden unless she can perform as the king commands. The story also contains the classic usage of "three" numbers: three rooms full of straw to spin into gold, three days, three times the little man offers to help.
The Zelinsky retelling is easy to understand but is not condescending to children. The story moves well and translates well into being told orally. The use of onomatopoeia appears in the text and adds a wonderful sound element to the story; the "whir! whir! whir!" of the spinning wheel brings the reader right into the room. The passage of time also occurs quickly. From one page to the next, the maiden is made queen, and on the page after that, a year has passed and she has born a child. The ancient names used in the story (as guesses from the queen) reflect the story's age, names such as "Melchior," "Balthazar," "Beastyribs," and "Leg O'Ram." Some of these sound absurd in this modern age!
The good vs. evil theme presents itself subtlety throughout the story. For instance, is it an acceptable practice to let a potential kingly husband believe that you can do things that are actually impossible (spinning straw into gold, without any magic)? And Rumpelstiltskin himself possesses magical talents that he uses to help himself get further along in the world. He rides his "cooking spoon" around the campfire at night, much like a witch would ride her broomstick, and he makes his grand final exit out the window on the same spoon. He claims that "The devil told you that!" when the queen correctly guesses his name, but only because her servant overheard Rumpelstiltskin himself exclaiming his name around his fire. Does this imply that he might be the devil?
Artistically, Zelinsky does a beautiful job creating the long-ago-world. The lovely painterly pictures enhance the story; the muted colors offer a rich variety of pleasing tones. The gold thread is quite gold, not yellowy, and the pictures contain mostly browns, tans, dark blues and greens, grey/stone, and orange-red. The deep green forest looks enchanted.
Zelinsky also uses mild color-coding to identify the characters. The queen appears in the orange-red and green colors throughout, with the author/illustrator adding white and gold, and much more ornate design to her costuming after she becomes queen. Rumpelstiltskin wears purple and red, which are reminiscent of a wizard or warlock. In the same vein, he also wears a black, slightly pointy hat.
The good vs. evil theme presents itself subtlety throughout the story. For instance, is it an acceptable practice to let a potential kingly husband believe that you can do things that are actually impossible (spinning straw into gold, without any magic)? And Rumpelstiltskin himself possesses magical talents that he uses to help himself get further along in the world. He rides his "cooking spoon" around the campfire at night, much like a witch would ride her broomstick, and he makes his grand final exit out the window on the same spoon. He claims that "The devil told you that!" when the queen correctly guesses his name, but only because her servant overheard Rumpelstiltskin himself exclaiming his name around his fire. Does this imply that he might be the devil?
Artistically, Zelinsky does a beautiful job creating the long-ago-world. The lovely painterly pictures enhance the story; the muted colors offer a rich variety of pleasing tones. The gold thread is quite gold, not yellowy, and the pictures contain mostly browns, tans, dark blues and greens, grey/stone, and orange-red. The deep green forest looks enchanted.
Zelinsky also uses mild color-coding to identify the characters. The queen appears in the orange-red and green colors throughout, with the author/illustrator adding white and gold, and much more ornate design to her costuming after she becomes queen. Rumpelstiltskin wears purple and red, which are reminiscent of a wizard or warlock. In the same vein, he also wears a black, slightly pointy hat.
A few additional thoughts on the story itself:
The greedy king chooses to make the maiden his wife after the third night of spinning, since he imagines the increased riches she will bring him. However, there is no straw-spinning after the wedding... perhaps he becomes enthralled with the children she will bring instead.
The queen's child is highly valuable, and Rumpelstiltskin appears when the child is born to make his own claim on it, per his bargain with the queen. But what would he want with a baby, anyway? The victory of taking the queen's firstborn son in itself may have been reward enough for Rumpelstiltskin, but of course, the queen refuses to lose that bargain.
The queen's child is highly valuable, and Rumpelstiltskin appears when the child is born to make his own claim on it, per his bargain with the queen. But what would he want with a baby, anyway? The victory of taking the queen's firstborn son in itself may have been reward enough for Rumpelstiltskin, but of course, the queen refuses to lose that bargain.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
*CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK
Review by SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light."
Review by THE HORN BOOK - "Truly a tour de force."
*CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK
Review by SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light."
Review by THE HORN BOOK - "Truly a tour de force."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Readers that enjoy this story may also enjoy other classic fairy tale stories, Cinderella variations, and adapted Brothers Grimm illustrated stories.
*A reenactment of this story, using character costumes for children, puppetry, and/or a felt board, would enhance this classic tale.
*See other books retold and/or illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, such as:
RAPUNZEL, Adapted and Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky, story by the Brothers Grimm, ISBN 9780590386029.
HANSEL AND GRETEL by Rika Lesser, Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky, ISBN 9780525461524.
*Readers that enjoy this story may also enjoy other classic fairy tale stories, Cinderella variations, and adapted Brothers Grimm illustrated stories.
*A reenactment of this story, using character costumes for children, puppetry, and/or a felt board, would enhance this classic tale.
*See other books retold and/or illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, such as:
RAPUNZEL, Adapted and Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky, story by the Brothers Grimm, ISBN 9780590386029.
HANSEL AND GRETEL by Rika Lesser, Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky, ISBN 9780525461524.
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