Jutta Ash

One of the most popular of the classic European fairy-tales, Rapunzel is a story that has been adapted and illustrated countless times. Many children's book devotees will be familiar with Paul Zelinksy's gorgeous Calecott Medal-winning version, which places the tale in an Italian Renaissance setting. Alix Berenzy, on the other hand, locates her adaptation in a more medieval landscape, while Dorothee Duntze creates a rather stylized "Europe" in her edition. My favorite retelling, of course, has always been Diane Stanley's Petrosinella, which reproduces the Neopolitan variant of the tale.

But whatever version we may prefer, it's always fun to come across a different interpretation, and so I picked up Jutta Ash's retelling of this classic Brothers Grimm märchen with some interest. The narrative itself was rather uneven, but the artwork was quite engrossing, and it was fascinating to see that Ash had given the tale a somewhat eastern flavor. The mosaics and drapery in Rapunzel's tower looked Byzantine, a visual impression accentuated by the hanging lamp found in one scene, and the stylized manner in which she depicted the human and animal figures.

I can't say that I found this a particularly impressive retelling, overall, but I did think that the artist's choices were unique, and that some of her two-page spreads, in particular, were quite charming. Not a version I'd recommend expending a great deal of effort to find, it is nevertheless of some interest to those - like me - who like to compare and contrast the various adaptations of a tale available.… (más)

Summary:
Rapunzel is a story of a man and his wife who wanted a child more than almost anything when the man stole a green lettuce known as rapunzel. The woman was tempted by the lettuce, and became ill because she wouldn't eat anything else. The man attempted to steal some from the witches garden, but was caught and in exchange for the rapunzel, he promised the witch his first born child. Soon after, his wife becomes pregnant, and he has to honor his promise to the witch. The witch hid the girl in a tower, and used her long hair to scale the wall to enter the chamber where the girl lived. A young prince heard the witch call for Rapunzel to let down her hair. He visited rapunzel several times until caught by the witch.

Personal reaction:
I enjoyed the story of rapunzel, however, it is a little long to use as a read aloud unless it is for older children.

classroom extension ideas:
I could have my classroom do their own rendition of Rapunzel by dressing up as the characters do and perform the story.

I could have the class draw a picture of the theme of the story.… (más)