Chatting Books Online Day 320 . Today's recommended book is Rapunzel as retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.
To say that this Caldecott award winning storybook is beautiful is a serious understatement. Painted in a style drawn from early French and Italian influences Paul Zelinsky has depicted the story wonderfully but it is more than that. The telling of the story is also wonderfully done. While reading it I also learned a few things: did you know that rapunzel is the name of a salad green , whose roots were also eaten, that was very popular at the time the Grimm brothers told their tale? So the princess Rapunzel is named for the herb her mother craved during her pregnancy. In exchange for the rapunzel herb the sorceress whose garden they were taking it from demanded that when the baby was born she was to be given to her. As the little girl grows the sorceress decides to lock her up in a tall , doorless tower ... you know the rest of the story .
I must say I always thought I knew the story of Rapunzel but really reading it is so much more than the Disneyfied version we are all familiar with from childhood. There are even a couple of pages at the end where they tell you more about the history of the story and other versions that have appeared in cultures throughout the ages. Very interesting indeed.
This storybook sells for $ 18.99 a copy.
To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you .Now mask up and have a good day.
