Grimm's Fairy Tales: Rumplestiltskin by Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson
| Grimm's Fairy Tales: Rumplestiltskin by Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: One of the lesser-known Grimm's Fairy Tales produced with the emerging reader in mind. Recommended both for personal and library use. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: April 2012 |
| Publisher: Orchard | |
| ISBN: 978-1408308417 | |
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Rumpelstiltskin is one of the better known of the tales from the Brothers Grimm and a perennial favourite. The poor miller shows off in front of the king about the abilities of his beautiful daughter - she can apparently spin straw into gold. The king insists that the girl be sent to the palace and when she arrives tells her to get a load of straw spun into gold - or suffer the (fatal) consequences. The girl is saved by the appearance of a dwarf who works his magic in return for the girl's necklace; on the second night it's her ring she gives up and on the third it's the promise of her first-born child.
I've always thought that this was a rather odd story. After threatening the girl with death if she couldn't work miracles the king then marries her once she's produced a load of gold. Personally I'd be worried about the possibility of some domestic violence before too long. Then there's the dwarf - who saves the girl's life on three occasions. A demand for the first-born child was going a bit far, but he too has to suffer the (fatal) consequences of his actions. The moral of the story is obviously that you shouldn't be offering to help any fair maidens if you're vertically challenged.
I know - it's a fairy story and this is a good retelling. It's aimed at the emerging reader, although it's still going to be a good one to share with a younger child. The text is clear and well-space so that it's easy to follow. The vocabulary is accessible but slightly demanding in places and there's nothing there that isn't an intrinsic part of the story. The illustrations are a delight and really compement the story. Our copy is a hardback. It's designed to last but it's of a size which small hands won't struggle to hold. With just thirty-two pages the emerging (or even reluctant) reader is soon going to be proud of having got a book under their belt.
The quality of this book is such that it would make a good present and it's robust enough to stand library handling.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
For another version of this story, try Rumpelstiltskin by Jess Stockham. We've also seen Twelve Dancing Princesses in this series. For more fairy tales have a look at our Top Ten Retellings of Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Grimm's Fairy Tales: Rumplestiltskin by Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Grimm's Fairy Tales: Rumplestiltskin by Saviour Pirotta and Cecilia Johansson at Amazon.com.
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