Rumpelstiltskin (original 1986; edição 1986)

Traditional retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Includes a note on the text that gives a history of the different versions of the story, which would be very helpful if including as part of a comparison unit.

The classic tale of Rumpelstilkskin and his gold spinning magic are beautifully illuminated by Zelinsky's detailed paintings.

A great book for showing painting as illustration, telling familiar traditional tales and comparing with other versions of the story. This is my favorite version so far. ( )

The illustrations are beautiful and capture the feeling of the Renaissance through architectural details and costumes. The text is stilted, a somewhat wooden retelling. Zelinsky's Rapunzel glows by comparison.

Summy:
A miller brags to the greedy king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king then takes the miller's daughter and locks her in a room to spin the straw into gold. The miller's daughter starts to get help by a strange little man. The third night when the miller's daughter has nothing left to pay the little man, he then tells her to give her firstborn child to him and the miller's daughter agrees. When she becomes queen and has a baby she starts to cry and the little man gives her three nights to guess his name or else the child is his.

My Response:
I really enjoyed reading this book and looking at the picutures as well. The pictures are so detailed and know that the story takes place once upon an earlier time. I would recommend this book to children of age 6 and over.

Class Extension:
1)Ask students what was the mistake the miller, miller's daughter and Rumpelstiltskin made in this story.
2)Have students tell their story of the consequences they had for lying. ( )

A girl is brought to the king to spin straw to gold although she cannot. She will be killed if in the morning it is not done but luckily a little man comes to help her and spins all the straw into gold. This happens for 3 nights. After that the girl is made the Queen and the man says he will take her 1st born child as repayment. After her child is born she doesn't want to give it up and has 3 days to guess his name, on the third day she does. This is a good fairy tale and can be used in a lesson about fairy tales and also about honesty. If the girl's father had been honest she would never have had to try to spin straw into gold. ( )

This is a time honored tale of a young maiden that must spin straw into gold or lose her life, but doesn't know how she can. A little man came to her rescue and told her he could help her.She gave him what trinkets she had but when they were gone she promised her first born child. The little man spun the straw into gold and saved her life. Then the girl married to the king and a year later birthed him a Prince. The little man said if she could guess his name in three days, she could keep her child. No matter what, she couldn't guess his name, but sent out a servant to try to find him. There in the woods, the servant finds that his name is Rumpelstiltskin. She hurries to the queen and tells her. She tells the little man, and they never saw the little man again.

The Grimm borthers have fantastic imaginations and it is always great to read their stories. The pictures in this version are amazing. It is beautifully drawn and captures the characters in a more traditional way.

In classroom I could use this several different ways. We could use this as a moral teaching, such as not to promise someone something that you aren't willing to give up. In addition to that we could emphasize the fact in putting your trust in someone whom shows up mysteriously in a time of dire need. This story has many moral values to learn from. ( )

Summary:
A poor miller told the king that his daughter could spin hay or straw into gold. The greedy king insisted that she spin his hay into gold or she would surely die. The poor miller's daughter did not know how to do this. She was then visited by a small man who offered to help her but for something in exchange. She offers him her bracelett and he accepts. The king becomes even more geedy and locks her in three different rooms. Each one filled with even more hay than the last. By the third room she had nothing left to offer so he requested that one day if she were to have a baby it would be given to him. She wasn't ammused with this idea but thought that it probably would never happen. After the third room was complete the king decided to marry the poor miller's daughter. A year later she gave birth to a baby boy. The small man appears and expects to take the baby. She pleads with him that he can have anything else except her baby. He disagrees and tells her she has three days to figure out his name. If she succeeds she gets to keep her baby. She sends one of her helpers to search the woods and to ask anyone if they know his name. For two days she tries to come up with every name she has ever knwon but none of them work. On the third day the helper finds the man in a cave in the woods and hears him singing about his name. When the small man comes to visit the next day she tells him his name. He is not happy but leaves and she never sees him again.

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed the illustrations. They are very well done. Also, I like to read the different versions of folk tales that different authors have. I have read Rumpelstiltskin before but not by this author. I like that there is a section in the back of the book that tells the history of the story.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. This would be a great book to read when learning about different folk tales.
2. The students could compare other folk tales to this one. ( )

Internet UPC Database

Fun Fairy tale. Always great to imagine a world with magical little people.

This picture book is about a stupid miller who boasts to his king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The greedy king orders her into a locked room so she can do so, not doing so would result in her death. For two nights, after sobbing her heart out, a little man comes and trades spinning the straw into gold for her necklace, and then her ring. On the third night, she has nothing to bargain with so he demands her first born child. She agrees and he spins the straw into gold. The greedy king decides to marry her so that he will be the richest king. She bears a child and the little man comes to collect. She weeps and he says that she can keep the child if she can guess his name in three days. The first two days she is unsuccessful, but then sends a servant out to find him and his name. The servant does, she guesses his name, and gets to keep her boy.

Zelinsky's color illustrations are incredible and tell the story as much as the text does. A theme of this story is to always have clever servants that you trust. The supernatural opponent, Rumplestiltskin, has an amazing ability to spin straw into gold and ride wooden spoons as if they were brooms. Ages 4 - 8.

Beautiful version- and Rumpelstiltskin isn't as scary as others, and a happy ending :) ( )

Summary: A poor commoner, wanting to impress the king, tells him that his daughter is able to spin straw into gold, and the king's greed gets the better of him so he takes the girl and puts her in a room of straw. He says she will die if she doesn't have it all turned to gold by the next day, and she cries because she does not have this ability. A small man appears to her and says he will help if she gives him something, so she gives him a piece of her jewelry and he does it. The king returns, and immediately puts her in a bigger room of straw to change to gold. The little man comes back, and offers to help for another piece of jewelry. This happens a third time, and this time the king tells her she will become his wife if she completes the task. The small man comes to help, but she has nothing to give him and he makes her promise to give him her firstborn. She does, seeing no other option, and she becomes queen. Later she had a baby, and the man came asking for the baby. She pleaded with him, and he said that if she knew his name by the end of 3 days, she could keep her baby. She guessed every name she could think of, normal and abnormal, and asked everyone around about him. On the last day, she sent out her servants to search for him, and they found him, swinging on a spoon and singing a song in which he said his name was Rumpelstiltskin. The servants told the queen, and when he returned for the last time, she told him his name, and he was furious, but he flew out the window and never came back.
Genre Critique: This is an example of a fairy tale because it is based on a very old story first collected and written by the Brother's Grimm and includes magic, a kingdom, flying, and a dwarf.
Characterization: Interestingly, 2 of the 3 main characters in this story are antagonists to the main character. Both the king and Rumpelstiltskin don't seem to care anything for the girl, just what they can each get from her because they are selfish and greedy. Thus, you hope that she will triumph over the evil plots of both of them, but this only happens for one, as she ends up the wife of the king.
Media: Acrylic ( )

Zelinsky. Paul O. Rumpelstilskin. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1986. This book is beautifully illustrated in an Italian Renaissance style. It is a traditional tale that was originally collected and published by the Brothers Grimm. In this version a miller's daughter is locked into several rooms with straw to spin into gold. She gets help from a little man who promises to spin as long as she gives him something. In this version Rumpelstilskin gets very mad when she says his name and flys out a window on a spoon. The text is simple enough for a child to read. This book is very enchanting and will engage anyone who reads it. Age group: 7-9 years. ( )

The oil paintings that illustrate this retelling are amazing! Younger children will love them because they seem real. The expressions tell the story and are a perfect compliment to this popular story. The King tells the miller's daughter to spin straw into gold because her father boasted about her talents. She is told that she will die if she doesn't produce the gold. A little man appears and spins the straw into gold in exchange for her necklace. He returns again and again, each time requiring something more. Finally she promises her first born child in exchange for the spinning. The miller's daughter marries the King and has a child. If she can guess the little man's name, she can keep her child.

Recommended ages 5 and up ( )

Rumplestiltskin remains a classic tale to this day. This story is age appropriate for k- 1st grade. It is probably very familiar to the average student. The translation was neatly done with beautiful illustrations. The warm colors and large font are agreeable to the reader. Does anyone ever question the king or his greed? Does anyone ever examine the lack of truth from the miller and his daughter? You could pull out a morality issue (honesty is the best policy) and (greed can become very costly).

Plot: A poor miller tells the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. So the king forces her to work for him but she does not know how to spin. So she strikes up a deal with a shady short guy and it comes back to bite her.

Personal Reaction: This version of the story is pretty much the same as all of the others and i found the animation style to be kind of boring.

Teaching supplement: I would teach my students that lying can get you in a very horrible jam.

This book had beautiful oil paintings on each page. Rumpelstiltskin was a wonderful book about a classic fairy tale.

This is a classic story which I remember reading during my childhood. It is one of my favorite stories because the “good guy” ends up winning in the end of the story by outsmarting the villain! The story begins with a miller bragging to the King that his daughter can spin straw into gold. Once the king makes this discovery, he brings her to his castle and puts her in a room full of straw and informs her that she must spin the straw into gold or she will die. The daughter is very frightened because she knows she cannot complete this task, but a tiny man arrives and helps her spin the straw into gold in exchange for her necklace. The next day, the king places her in a larger room to spin straw into gold. The little man arrives again and spins the gold in exchange for her ring. Finally, the king places her in a very large room to spin straw into gold and states that if she spins it he will marry her. The little man arrives again and states that he will only spin the gold if he can have her first child once she becomes queen. The daughter agrees because she does not have anything else to offer. The king marries her and they have a child. The little man arrives to take the child and the daughter begs and pleads with him not to take her child. He states that the only way she can keep her child is if she discovers his name. After many guesses, she finally finds out that his name is Rumpelstiltskin after she sends one of her servants to spy on him in the woods. As a result, she is allowed to keep her child and the little man leaves forever!

Giving a close-up view into the medieval world of the king and the miller's daughter, straw is turned to gold by a mysterious little man who's name is finally discovered in the nick of time. This is a wonderful Grimm's fairytale classic to be read aloud to all ages. ( )

This is a good example of a folk tale because it is a n old story that has been retold many times in different ways. In the back of the book, the author talks about the different versions there are of the story. ( )

Caldecott Winner Paul O. Zelinsky’s version of Rumplestiltskin is a beautiful book. A miller brags to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king puts the woman in a room with straw and tells her to have it spun to gold by morning or she will be put to death. She cries and cries, for she cannot do it, until a strange little man appears and tells her he will spin the straw to gold, but demands a gift. She offers him her necklace. He takes it, and spins. The king is delighted, and the next night he puts the girl in a bigger room with even more straw and the same demand. The little man comes back, and this time the miller’s daughter gives him her ring to complete the task. The next night, the king puts the girl in the biggest room of the palace filled with straw, and this time, should she complete the task, she shall be his wife. When the little man returns, she cries, for she has nothing else to give. The little man suggests that, when she becomes queen, she must give him her first born child, and she agrees.
The girl becomes queen, and soon bears a son. The little man returns to claim the boy, but the queen begs him. He suggests that if she can discover his name within three days time, she may keep her child. For two days, the queen scours the kingdom for every name ever used, but cannot figure out his name. Before the third day, she sends her servant to follow the little man. The servant hears him singing a chant, wherein he says his name. On the third day, she tells him his name, Rumplestiltskin. He is so angry he flies off, and all is well.
I never understood the moral of this story. Perhaps it has to do with not making deals with those one does not know, and may therefore not trust. However, the poor girl does not seem to have a choice. Ultimately she is vindicated by trickery, so perhaps it has to do with outwitting a trickster, but it still seems shaky at best.
Zelinsky’s illustrations are what make this book such a triumph. The eyes of his characters are so expressive. Rumplestitlskin himself is just as I imagined him to be. Three Stars.

Rumpelstiltskin – retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
ELIB 530A LibraryThing Part C – Traditional Lit. – Book 2
This book is a retelling of the popular Brothers Grimm story about a young woman who must spin straw into gold and does so with the help of a strange small man named Rumplestiltskin. The illustrations are elaborately painted in oil and depict a Northern European 15th century world in a somewhat skewed perspective typical of the time period. Unlike the paintings of that time period, Zelinsky richly animates the characters with both facial expression and body gestures that enliven the story and make it a captivating read. One interesting point that I didn’t remember being in the story when I read other versions in the past, is that Rumplestiltskin rides around on a cooking spoon.

This is a beautifully illustrated and written book, with a lengthy afterword explaining how, exactly, this version came to be written.

Many people do not realize this, but even the most familiar fairy tale has always had equally venerable variations. In this story of Rumpelstiltskin, the little man flies off on a wooden spoon at the end of the story. People more used to the "stamps through the floor" version may be somewhat disappointed, but this is not an innovation, it is equally traditional.

The story is a bit lengthy, and includes some elements that might be scary for younger children. That's why they're called the GRIMm Brothers :)

Also, although I love old fairy tales, sometimes you have to stop and realize the message they send - in this one, that a guy who threatens to kill you twice is going to be an okay husband. Um... right. I'm not suggesting that you never read this story (or any other fairy tale) to your child ever, but you might want to wait until they're older to read this particular one with them, because of the issues I mentioned above.

That said, I love this edition. Like I said, it has gorgeous illustrations. ( )

With splendid illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky, the story of Rumpelstiltskin rendered in Zelinsky's voice comes to life in a new way. Giving a close-up view into the medieval world of the king and the millers daughter, the straw is turned to gold by the mysterious little man who's name is finally discovered in the nick of time.

A wonderful Grimm's fairytale classic to be read aloud for all ages.

Themes:
German Folklore, Mystery, Greed.

connections with text and illustrations