Book Review of Rumpelstiltskin by Paul Zelinsky

 

1.      Bibliography

Zelinsky, P. O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin. Dutton Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780525442653

2.      Plot Summary

A long time ago there was a miller who had a beautiful daughter.  To get his daughter noticed by the king he told him she could spin straw into gold.  The king had the miller’s daughter brought to the castle and told her she had to spin the straw into gold by morning.  A little man by the name of Rumpelstiltskin heard her cries and decided to help her for a price, her first born child.  When the king married the miller’s daughter, they soon had a baby boy.  Rumpelstiltskin came back for his payment and the queen pleaded to keep her child.  Rumpelstiltskin gave her three days to guess his name and she would be able to keep the baby.  On the third day she was able to find out his name and Rumpelstiltskin was so upset he flew away and was never seen again. 

3.      Critical Analysis

In this classic folktale we follow a miller’s daughter who becomes stuck in a situation she cannot solve on her own.  Zelinsky retells the story very close to the original version with Rumpelstiltskin asking for her first-born child.  There is much conversation in this story with a lot of back and forth between Rumpelstiltskin and the miller’s daughter.  We can learn from this story that helping people is the right thing to do but we shouldn’t ask for much in return because it may cause more problems.  We can also see that because the king was greedy, he put his new baby in a bad situation. 

 

The oil paintings are beautiful and show the characters’ emotions and feelings.  Rumpelstiltskin is made to be a small man with a long nose and big eyes, making his character seem more interesting.  There are small details in the crown jewels and dress fabric.  You can tell Zelinsky is a very talented artist and storyteller. 

4.      Review Excerpt(s)

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 1988-1989

Caldecott Honor Book

 

Kindergarten-Grade 4 Zelinsky's painterly style and rich colors provide an evocative backdrop to this story. The medieval setting and costumes and the spools of gold thread which shine on the page like real gold are suggestive of an illuminated manuscript. Without overpowering the text, the illustrations give depth and background, providing exquisite texture and detail: the castle interior; subtle facial expressions; the forboding landscape when Rumplestiltskin is overheard to reveal his name. The imp himself is deeply fascinating, with his birdlike features, tiny agile body, and Rackhamesque hands and feet. This retelling is based on the 1819 Grimm version. Zelinsky's ending, in which Rumplestiltskin flies away on his wooden spoon, is a departure from the source, wherein he stomps one foot deep in the ground, grabbing the other foot and tearing himself in half. Galdone's Rumpelstiltskin (Clarion, 1985), with its French Renaissance setting and pot-bellied unshaven imp, has a comic, earthy flavor. Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light. Susan H. Patron, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.-School Library Journal

5.      Connections

*You can compare this story to other versions of this folktale and compare. 

Other books: Rumpelstiltskin by Peter Clover, Robert Dunn, et al.

Rumpelstiltskin by Paul Galdone

Rumpelstiltskin by Tiger Tales and Loretta Schauer

Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

*You can have the students write an alternative ending for the book and show a way they think it could end differently.