RUMPELSTILTSKIN

1. Bibliography

Retold and Ill. by Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin: From the German of the Brothers Grimm. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 0525442650

2. Plot Summary

            The miller tells the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king decides to test her ability and locks her in a room pilled with straw over several nights. But help soon comes from a little man, who wants something in return for his services. When he comes to claim what it is his, she is faced with an even harder dilemma. What is the man’s name?

3. Critical Analysis

             Set in a distant past in an unknown land, Rumpelstiltskin is a traditional folktale. It holds to having limited characters which are vaguely described, but beautifully detailed in the illustrations. The illustrations are realistic to a medieval time period, and the size and coloring helps complete the grandeur of the story. The tale contains several small conflicts which are solved only to create a much larger dilemma. The repetition of the number three continues through the entire plot. The story repeats the usage of the number three trough the amount of rooms the miller’s daughter is place in, the number of times Rumpelstiltskin helps her spin the straw, the number of times Rumpelstiltskin allows her to guess his name, and the amount of names she guesses at each visit. The style is traditional to the tale, and even starts off with the word “Once”. Overall, the story is a great traditional tale that is able to present a plot, characters, setting, and style.

4. Reviews

Winner of the Caldecott Award

Kirkus Review; “The illustrators' familiar pen-and-ink, gouache, and pastel work is as appealing as ever-Azban is a particularly engaging character. Readers will hope this foursome keeps on rolling.”

Children’s Literature; “…Zelinsky's exquisitely detailed illustrations perfectly capture the splendid beauty of the late medieval period, as well as the unique qualities of each character..”

5. Connections

* Retell Rumpelstiltskin from another point of view.   

* How do you think Rumpelstiltskin spun the gold?

* What other names might the Queen have guessed?

* Make a script and act out the story using puppets or real people for the story.

* Similar stories:

            Sedgwick, Marcus. The Emperor’s New Clothes. Ill. by Alison Jay. ISBN 0811845699

            dePaola, Tomie. Big Anthony and the Magic Ring. ISBN 0156119072