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Rapunzel
Book by Hughes, Monica (RTL)
- GenresFiction
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Monica Hughes
562 books122 followersMonica Hughes was a very popular writer for young people, and has won numerous prizes. Her books have been published in the United States, Poland, Spain, Japan, France, Scandinavia, England, and Germany. She has twice received the Canada Council Prize for Children's Literature, and was runner-up for the Guardian Award.
She is the author of Keeper of the Isis Light, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, which also received a Certificate of Honor from the International Board on Books for Young People; Hunter in the Dark, also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Sandwriter, among many other titles.
She is the author of Keeper of the Isis Light, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, which also received a Certificate of Honor from the International Board on Books for Young People; Hunter in the Dark, also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Sandwriter, among many other titles.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 2, 2016
The wording was so simple, too simple even for a kid's book. I think this story would have been told much better at a higher reading level with more words, because a lack of words prevented this story from being conveyed fully. The artwork was simple too, not many details and none of the people were pleasant to look at. The man's hairstyle was just crazy and his clothes were really moder, what with the button-down shirt with a collar, a vest, what looks like blue jeans and shoes. And the bed and the curtain were all very modern, not the medieval setting at all. The witch's face was just gnarled and scrunched up, all I really got was a pointy chin and a long nose jutting out.
The wife said she needed to eat the rapunzel leaves, but then once he gives them to her and she doesn’t die, he continued to pick them every day. I didn’t know why she had to keep eating them, it should’ve been said she had to eat them during her pregnancy or something because there was no reason that once she was healthy she had to keep eating. I thought it was interesting that Rapunzel got her name from the plant. And upon writing this I realize the man and wife had no names, or the witch. They were just man and wife and witch. Very creative.
I don’t think we needed the sentence on the right side of the page. The author would choose one of the sentences from the left side of the page and feature it on the right page, so presumably the parent would read the left side and the child could read the right. That’s a really weird way to read, just let the kid read the book and not have separate things going on. It was just a really disjointed format.
The witch sees him picking the leaves in her garden and says “why are you stealing my leaves?” He answers “my wife must eat them or she’ll die.” And she says “you can have my leaves but you must give me your baby.” How did she know he had a baby? And it’s kind of stupid to show someone shoving their cane in someone’s face and demanding to know why they’re stealing and then just up and say you can have them. She should’ve said fine, you can take the leaves but you have to give me your baby, or if you take any more leaves you have to give me your baby as payment or something.
He gives the baby to the witch, no reaction, no insight into what he was feeling, no mention of choosing his wife over the baby. He just gives it up like he doesn’t care. And we don’t even know if the mom knew about it or anything. Or why the witch wanted a baby. Then the next page the baby is grown into a girl. The witch takes her to a tower with a window and no door, and the author doesn’t even explain how they got into the tower. That window was high. I’m wondering how a young girl and an old woman managed to gain access inside. No matter though, because it’s one more thing the author deems unimportant. And how did she eat if every day she lived alone in the tower? After that it said the witch came daily and told her to lower her hair, but it didn’t say if she brought food or what they did. These are questions that need answers. And of course Rapunzel is a beautiful girl, even in her young age. Because that’s what matters in this world. Teach young, impressionable girls that beauty is all that matters. Most of us will never be beautiful or anywhere near, so I wish authors writing to children would realize that and instill better values.
And of course a prince comes by. Not just any guy, but a prince with a crown and everything. Not a poor farm boy with a good work ethic. Fairytales really make me sick. The prince has heard the witch say "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" so he knows what to say. It's unclear to me why he would want to scale a tower just because he's heard a girl singing, and I'm perplexed as to why she would immediately let her hair down just because a guy, who she doesn't know and who knows her name, tells her to. He's a stranger and she doesn't even look, just does as she's asked and that kind of behavior is dangerous. Rapunzel tells the witch about the prince, she gets mad, cuts her hair and sends her away to some undisclosed location. The prince comes, the witch dangles Rapunzel’s shorn hair, pulls him up and then lets go. He falls into a thorn bush, and even though he is clearly landing on his butt in the picture the thorns get in his eyes and he’s unable to see. I think the thorns went into his butt cuz that’s where he landed. And credits to the author for having the thorn bush in every picture with the tower—and yes, I went back and checked—instead of having a thorn bush pop up when it’s convenient. She obviously gave it some thought.
The prince walks around for days, when he hears Rapunzel singing. And that kids is what we call a coincidence. She cries when he tells her about the witch, and her years fall into his eyes and wash out the thorns. How her tears fell into the eyes of someone taller than her I’ll never know. Was he lying down and she was standing over him, was he sitting and her standing, what? Then it’s literally the prince and Rapunzel were married, and they all lived happily ever after. They all, who? What about the witch, did she live happily ever after too? Because she doesn’t deserve a happy ending. And what about her parents? Did she never wonder about them, did she know the witch wasn’t her mother? Did her parents never search for her or anything? What a terribly told story with an unfinished ending. Nothing was explained, there were so many holes and unanswered questions, and things that didn’t go together. I think people forget that you actually have to use some brains when writing kids book. This illustrates it isn’t as easy as you think, and kids most definitely have questions and I think they could tear this plot apart in a second.
The wife said she needed to eat the rapunzel leaves, but then once he gives them to her and she doesn’t die, he continued to pick them every day. I didn’t know why she had to keep eating them, it should’ve been said she had to eat them during her pregnancy or something because there was no reason that once she was healthy she had to keep eating. I thought it was interesting that Rapunzel got her name from the plant. And upon writing this I realize the man and wife had no names, or the witch. They were just man and wife and witch. Very creative.
I don’t think we needed the sentence on the right side of the page. The author would choose one of the sentences from the left side of the page and feature it on the right page, so presumably the parent would read the left side and the child could read the right. That’s a really weird way to read, just let the kid read the book and not have separate things going on. It was just a really disjointed format.
The witch sees him picking the leaves in her garden and says “why are you stealing my leaves?” He answers “my wife must eat them or she’ll die.” And she says “you can have my leaves but you must give me your baby.” How did she know he had a baby? And it’s kind of stupid to show someone shoving their cane in someone’s face and demanding to know why they’re stealing and then just up and say you can have them. She should’ve said fine, you can take the leaves but you have to give me your baby, or if you take any more leaves you have to give me your baby as payment or something.
He gives the baby to the witch, no reaction, no insight into what he was feeling, no mention of choosing his wife over the baby. He just gives it up like he doesn’t care. And we don’t even know if the mom knew about it or anything. Or why the witch wanted a baby. Then the next page the baby is grown into a girl. The witch takes her to a tower with a window and no door, and the author doesn’t even explain how they got into the tower. That window was high. I’m wondering how a young girl and an old woman managed to gain access inside. No matter though, because it’s one more thing the author deems unimportant. And how did she eat if every day she lived alone in the tower? After that it said the witch came daily and told her to lower her hair, but it didn’t say if she brought food or what they did. These are questions that need answers. And of course Rapunzel is a beautiful girl, even in her young age. Because that’s what matters in this world. Teach young, impressionable girls that beauty is all that matters. Most of us will never be beautiful or anywhere near, so I wish authors writing to children would realize that and instill better values.
And of course a prince comes by. Not just any guy, but a prince with a crown and everything. Not a poor farm boy with a good work ethic. Fairytales really make me sick. The prince has heard the witch say "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" so he knows what to say. It's unclear to me why he would want to scale a tower just because he's heard a girl singing, and I'm perplexed as to why she would immediately let her hair down just because a guy, who she doesn't know and who knows her name, tells her to. He's a stranger and she doesn't even look, just does as she's asked and that kind of behavior is dangerous. Rapunzel tells the witch about the prince, she gets mad, cuts her hair and sends her away to some undisclosed location. The prince comes, the witch dangles Rapunzel’s shorn hair, pulls him up and then lets go. He falls into a thorn bush, and even though he is clearly landing on his butt in the picture the thorns get in his eyes and he’s unable to see. I think the thorns went into his butt cuz that’s where he landed. And credits to the author for having the thorn bush in every picture with the tower—and yes, I went back and checked—instead of having a thorn bush pop up when it’s convenient. She obviously gave it some thought.
The prince walks around for days, when he hears Rapunzel singing. And that kids is what we call a coincidence. She cries when he tells her about the witch, and her years fall into his eyes and wash out the thorns. How her tears fell into the eyes of someone taller than her I’ll never know. Was he lying down and she was standing over him, was he sitting and her standing, what? Then it’s literally the prince and Rapunzel were married, and they all lived happily ever after. They all, who? What about the witch, did she live happily ever after too? Because she doesn’t deserve a happy ending. And what about her parents? Did she never wonder about them, did she know the witch wasn’t her mother? Did her parents never search for her or anything? What a terribly told story with an unfinished ending. Nothing was explained, there were so many holes and unanswered questions, and things that didn’t go together. I think people forget that you actually have to use some brains when writing kids book. This illustrates it isn’t as easy as you think, and kids most definitely have questions and I think they could tear this plot apart in a second.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2016
I picked this up at a local used bookshop because the cover was pretty, and the illustrations. It looked better when I skimmed through it in the store. the people turned out to be kind of odd-looking. I also thought it would help for inspiration for fairy tale books, so I picked up a few different ones, if I ever become an author.
Oh no. this isn’t in story format. It’s in freaking short, fragmented, choppy sentences that don’t even go together.
‘once there was a man and his wife.
The wife was going to have a baby.
But she was ill.
A witch lived next door.
The witch had a garden.
It was full of Rapunzel plants.
The leaves were good to eat.’
And why, on the opposite pages, is there on random sentence from the previous page in bold?
It’s like they highlight what the scene is, as if we couldn’t tell what it was.
This dad's hair is crazy. there's this weird bald-spot looking place.
On the next page the wife says she has to eat Rapunzel leaves or she’ll die. Why? What are Rapunzel leaves? What do they do? What sickness does the wife have, and how can the leaves cure it?
“You can have my leaves,” said the witch, “but you must give me your baby.” Ok, that’s fair.
she doesn't explain why she wants the baby.
I wonder if he consulted with his wife before he agreed with the witch to give her the baby. If not, he’s so sleeping in the doghouse for the rest of his life.
They didn’t even say anything about the wife, if she knew she had to give her baby up beforehand.
The witch looks crazy.
-the tower is ridiculous. It’s just a lone tower. Which looks like it only fits a spiral staircase. Which leads to a window. Where’s the room at the top? Where’s the room period?
Rapunzel has only ever heard the witch ask to let her hair down. Then all of a sudden a guy does, and she just let’s down her hair. This is the equivalent of getting in a van with a stranger. You don’t let down your hair to strangers.
In all the stories, a prince is just in the woods. we don’t know why they’re in the woods. or what area they are the prince of.
The princes hair is crazy! It sticks up and over his crown. At least he’s dressed like a prince, though. Unlike The Little Golden Book: Snow White.
Also, I thought Rapunzel was a princess. Not from simple country folk.
of course she can sing on top of being beautiful. ugh, reminds me of Disney: Sleeping Beauty. those girls just have it all!
Can’t believe she told the witch about the prince. She should have asked him to help her escape! Wow, I’ve never thought of that before.
I wonder if she ever questioned where her parents were.
-when the witch is in the tower, all of a sudden there’s this black bird. which looks like a shadowy outline of a blackbird.
-in the picture, it looks like he’s landing on his butt. But it says the thorns went in his eyes.
The likelihood of him walking around in the forest for days isn’t very plausible. He’d be stumbling around&bumping into things. &why was Rapunzel just roaming around in the woods singing? Why did the witch just let her go? &was that really a time to sing? Her hair had been cut, the witch had ‘sent her away,’ which means she’d been banished to the woods completely alone. &she had to know the witch was going to hurt the prince.
How could her tears fall into the princes eyes? &actually wash the thorns out. the thought of thorns in someone's eyes...ouch. he would need medical attention, stat.
The picture of their wedding was pretty.
-in true fairy tale fashion, all of a sudden they’re married, because all the books are about insta-love.
What about her family?! Does she ever meet them?? Is that them standing at the wedding? It kinda looks like them, but the author didn’t even say anything about them!!
This book was just ok. I wish the story had been written better. even though it's for young kids who are just learning to read--I didn't know it was that juvenile when I picked it up--it could have been written better.
Oh no. this isn’t in story format. It’s in freaking short, fragmented, choppy sentences that don’t even go together.
‘once there was a man and his wife.
The wife was going to have a baby.
But she was ill.
A witch lived next door.
The witch had a garden.
It was full of Rapunzel plants.
The leaves were good to eat.’
And why, on the opposite pages, is there on random sentence from the previous page in bold?
It’s like they highlight what the scene is, as if we couldn’t tell what it was.
This dad's hair is crazy. there's this weird bald-spot looking place.
On the next page the wife says she has to eat Rapunzel leaves or she’ll die. Why? What are Rapunzel leaves? What do they do? What sickness does the wife have, and how can the leaves cure it?
“You can have my leaves,” said the witch, “but you must give me your baby.” Ok, that’s fair.
she doesn't explain why she wants the baby.
I wonder if he consulted with his wife before he agreed with the witch to give her the baby. If not, he’s so sleeping in the doghouse for the rest of his life.
They didn’t even say anything about the wife, if she knew she had to give her baby up beforehand.
The witch looks crazy.
-the tower is ridiculous. It’s just a lone tower. Which looks like it only fits a spiral staircase. Which leads to a window. Where’s the room at the top? Where’s the room period?
Rapunzel has only ever heard the witch ask to let her hair down. Then all of a sudden a guy does, and she just let’s down her hair. This is the equivalent of getting in a van with a stranger. You don’t let down your hair to strangers.
In all the stories, a prince is just in the woods. we don’t know why they’re in the woods. or what area they are the prince of.
The princes hair is crazy! It sticks up and over his crown. At least he’s dressed like a prince, though. Unlike The Little Golden Book: Snow White.
Also, I thought Rapunzel was a princess. Not from simple country folk.
of course she can sing on top of being beautiful. ugh, reminds me of Disney: Sleeping Beauty. those girls just have it all!
Can’t believe she told the witch about the prince. She should have asked him to help her escape! Wow, I’ve never thought of that before.
I wonder if she ever questioned where her parents were.
-when the witch is in the tower, all of a sudden there’s this black bird. which looks like a shadowy outline of a blackbird.
-in the picture, it looks like he’s landing on his butt. But it says the thorns went in his eyes.
The likelihood of him walking around in the forest for days isn’t very plausible. He’d be stumbling around&bumping into things. &why was Rapunzel just roaming around in the woods singing? Why did the witch just let her go? &was that really a time to sing? Her hair had been cut, the witch had ‘sent her away,’ which means she’d been banished to the woods completely alone. &she had to know the witch was going to hurt the prince.
How could her tears fall into the princes eyes? &actually wash the thorns out. the thought of thorns in someone's eyes...ouch. he would need medical attention, stat.
The picture of their wedding was pretty.
-in true fairy tale fashion, all of a sudden they’re married, because all the books are about insta-love.
What about her family?! Does she ever meet them?? Is that them standing at the wedding? It kinda looks like them, but the author didn’t even say anything about them!!
This book was just ok. I wish the story had been written better. even though it's for young kids who are just learning to read--I didn't know it was that juvenile when I picked it up--it could have been written better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews