Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky

Bibliography:

Zelinsky, Paul O. Rumpelstiltskin. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinksky. New York: Puffin Books, 1986. ISBN 9780140558647

Plot Summary:

A poor miller with a beautiful daughter encounters the king and tells him that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king then orders the daughter to the castle. He leads her to a room filled with straw and tells her she must turn it into gold or die. She doesn't know how to do this and weeps until a little man appears. He agrees to spin the straw into gold for her in exchange for her necklace. The king is happy, but greedy, and takes her to another room filled with more straw to spin into gold. The little man appears again and demands her ring to turn the straw into gold. The king is even happier and takes her to an even bigger room filled with straw and tells her that if she spins the straw into gold he will make her his wife. The little man appears again, but she has nothing left to give him. He makes her promise to give him her firstborn child with the king. He spins all the straw into gold, the king marries her, and she becomes queen.

A year later, she has a baby boy and the little man appears and demands the baby. She cries and begs for him not to take her baby. He gives her three days to learn his name and she can keep her baby. The queen sends a servant to look for the little man and he is found singing a tune with his name in it...Rumpelstiltskin. She tells the man his name, he gets very angry and leaves.

Critical Analysis:

The three main characters in this fairy tale are all nameless, but we do find out the main character's name at the very end of the story...Rumpelstiltskin. The characters are typical of those found in fairy tales with both good and evil represented. We have the beautiful but unfortunate daughter, the greedy king, and the magical, evil Rumpelstiltskin. Zelinsky creates suspense and builds anticipation that carries the reader to the happy ending.

The exquisite illustrations, created by Zelinksky, are done with oil over watercolor paint in a Renaissance style. The colors are rich, the pictures are dreamlike, and there is a golden hue throughout the story adding to the gold theme of the story. The backgrounds in each page of the story are most impressive with exacting detail added to each element. Children will be entranced with this book and with the evil, little Rumpelstiltskin.

Review Excerpts:

• 1987 CALDECOTT Honor Book 
• 1986 Parents' Choice Award
• New York Public Library:100 Great Children's Books-"Stunning paintings in the late medieval style take a classic fairy tale to new heights."
• Horn Book Fanfare: Best Books of 1986
• From the New York Times Book Review-"Richly hued oil paintings complement a story simply and gracefully told. "Children...love the story for its mystery, and its familiarity. Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking."
• From the School Library Journal-"Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light."
• From The Center for Children's Books-"This traditional telling of Rumpelstiltskin is enhanced with beautiful, expressive illustrations that pay significant attention to detail. Zelinsky’s work, done in a Renaissance style, earned a Caldecott Honor in 1987, as well as numerous other awards. The note on the text gives some historical background to the original German telling by the Grimm brothers.

Connections:

Gather other books written or illustrated by Paul O, Zelinsky to read such as:
Rapunzel ISBN 9780590386029
Hansel and Gretel written by Rika Lesser ISBN 9780698114074
Swamp Angel written by Anne Isaacs ISBN 9780140559088
Knick Knack Paddywhack ISBN 9780525469087  

Gather other fairy tales to read such as:
Cinderella by K. Y. Craft ISBN 9781587170041
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney ISBN
9780688159320

The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall ISBN 9780448422886

Jack and the Beanstalk by Steven Kellogg ISBN 9780688152819

Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman ISBN 9780823406531

Have students complete Rumpelstiltskin word search puzzle.

The miller's daughter gave Rumpelstiltskin her jewelry in exchange for his help. Have students make their own jewelry from either paper or beads. 

Draw a new cover for the book.

Read Zelinksy's Rumpelstiltskin and then read Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff for a fun compare/contrast activity.