How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown

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How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown

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Buy How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Category: For Sharing
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Reviewed by Ruth Ng
Summary: Sick of Disney princes and the happy ever after myth? Then this is the book for you! Making librarians everywhere smile a little wider this is a fun fairy tale, re-told.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32 Date: October 2014
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
External links: Author's website
ISBN:

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When I'm not reading books, or being a mum, I'm busy being a librarian, so of course I wanted to read this book! Poor Rapunzel is down in the dumps. As the story tells us, she had nowhere to go, she had nothing to prove. If this were an adult story she'd be diagnosed with depression, but since we're in the realm of pictures books we merely see a queue of people who drop by to visit Rapunzel, asking her to let down her hair so that they can deliver things to her or come by and visit who fail completely to entice her out of her flat, or for her to let down her hair to let them in. What is it she is waiting for? Is she just on hold until her handsome prince comes by?

I'd like to say first of all that Rapunzel in this story has red hair, and rather wild and fiery red hair at that! No tame blonde beauties here! She doesn't respond to the milkman, or the postman, or the baker or even her aunt. But wait, who is this racing along on his white moped (nice touch!)? Why, it's the handsome prince who has long hair himself and an odd little goatee. Although clad in leather trousers and bearing roses and chocolates Rapunzel ignores him too and not being one to hang around this prince is soon off and away and never seen again! If you're wondering what on earth is going to happen to Ranpunzel now you're not alone! We weren't sure either and eagerly turned the page. When her friends and her aunt decide to climb all the stairs up to her flat on the sixteenth floor they bring with them a letter for Rapunzel, and it is this letter that proves to be the key to unlocking poor Rapunzel from her slump for she discovers that she has a job at the library!

Well, now she's going to be a librarian, Rapunzel is absolutely fine! She's up early the next day, getting ready, eating her breakfast and reading the paper. She sparkles at work, and everyone loves her and when she thinks of how she used to be, hanging around waiting for a prince she feels embarrassed! Now she reads multiple books every night and has learned lots of fascinating things and it's all thanks to the library!

The illustrations in this story are lovely and bright. Rapunzel is, as you'd expect with a scooter-riding prince, set in modern times. I particularly like the picture of Rapunzel after she finds out she's been offered a job in the library. She is dancing around the room, her hair a wild bush behind her and two little cats dancing at her feet too! She does, indeed, look very happy to be working in the library, and I also like the picture showing her learning to play the bassoon! It's nice to have an alternative fairy tale. I grew up on Disney movies and I still partly expect my life to turn into a musical number at any given moment, but I think it's nice to have a balance with all these love stories that get thrown at children, especially girls. Being a librarian myself it is, of course, an added bonus that it's working in a library that energizes Rapunzel and changes her life. I'm a firm believer in the value of libraries in our communities. Go ahead, go and visit your local library and borrow this lovely book. And then buy it as well! As it says at the end of the story Don't just wait for your prince to show. He might turn up, but you never know. Pop down to your library and borrow a book - there's SO MUCH to find out if only you look.

We also have a review of our authors' The Glump and the Peeble.

You might also enjoy reading The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson.

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Buy How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
Buy How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown at Amazon.com.

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