Rumpelstiltskin

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rumpelstiltskin-paul-o-zelinsky/1101075090?ean=9780613005036

Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 0525442650

Summary

A miller boasts to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king takes the poor girl to the castle right away, where she is locked in a room filled with straw. She is told to spin the straw into gold or she will be killed. A tiny man finds the girl frightened and weeping, and agrees to help her for a cost. The greedy king locks the girl in a room three times, and each night she is visited by Rumpelstiltskin, who spins the straw into gold. However, the girl is forced to promise her first child to the tiny man. The miller's daughter becomes queen and has a handsome baby boy. Rumpelstiltskin agrees to allow the queen to keep her son if she can guess his name. 

Critical Analysis

Paul Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin, with some divergence, follows the story's most familiar form found in the Grimms' 1819 edition of Children's and Household Tales. The characters, with the exception of Rumpelstiltskin, remain nameless throughout the story. The miller is a father, who cares more for impressing the king than the welfare of his daughter. The king is a greedy ruler, who only marries the miller's daughter because he thinks she is the richest wife in all the world. The miller's daughter, locked in the castle rooms, is a victim of powerlessness in her situation, and is forced to deceive to save her own life and then the life of her child. Rumpelstiltkin, the only name known to the reader, represents an evil whose power comes from his name remaining unknown and unspoken. The miller's daughter is manipulated by each of the three male characters, her father, the king, and Rumpelstiltskin. These characters' actions reveal universal themes of selfishness and greed. The miller's daughter must depend on her own resourcefulness and her most faithful servant to give this story a happy ending. 

Zelinsky's paintings beautifully illustrate the medieval setting in his retelling of this story. According to his website, Zelinsky chose to paint the pictures in a Renaissance style, using oil over watercolor underpainting. The results are spellbinding. His pictures capture the details of medieval life, and his expressions add feeling to the otherwise one-dimensional characters. Zelinsky's changes to the story are more appropriate to a picture book format. His ending has Rumpelstiltskin flying away on a wooden spoon, rather than the Grimms' more gruesome conclusion of stomping a foot into the ground and tearing himself in two. 

Although Zelinsky has created a magnificent version of this timeless fairytale, it is difficult to pinpoint the story's continued appeal. Perhaps, it teaches the shortcomings of greed and selfishness. The story warns the reader against making promises that cannot be kept. Perhaps, we all just want to see the ordinary miller's daughter triumph over her problems and vanquish the evil Rumpelstiltskin!

Awards

Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1987.

Reviews

Booklist, January 01, 1987, says about Rumpelstiltskin, "Zelinsky's jeweled tones and precise medieval backgrounds make this a particularly handsome rendering of the classic fairy tale."

In the October 01, 1987 issue of School Library Journal, the review explains Zelinsky's illustrations, "Without overpowering the text, the illustrations give depth and background, providing exquisite texture and detail: the castle interior; subtle facial expressions; the foreboding 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."

Connections

Paul O. Zelinsky's website has a link to lesson plans created by his wife, Deborah Hallen, who is a teacher with long experience in the New York Public Schools. 

One extension activity she suggests is to discuss how people in the United Sates usually have a first and last name. Children can find out the origin of their last name and discuss how they got their first name. 

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed September 22, 2013

Grimm, Jacob. Household Tales by Brothers Grimm. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. 

Hallen, Deborah. "Rumpelstiltskin." Paul O. Zelinsky.com. Accessed September 23, 2013. http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin_lessons.html

Zelinsky, Paul O. "Rumpelstiltskin: Retold and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky." Paul O. Zelinsky.com. Accessed September 23, 2013. http://www.paulozelinsky.com/rumpelstiltskin.html