Rumpelstiltskin

Today, I'm sharing three images from Paul Zelinsky's "Rumpelstiltskin." This book was written in the 1980s, and though it didn't win *top* recognition from the Caldecott people, it did win silver medals. (Zelinsky's "Rapunzel" did *indeed* win top honors.)

Zelinsky is mainly an artist, but he'll re-tell a story now and then. We all know Rumpelstiltskin. He is the man with a plan. He wants a kid. He can't get one. Inventiveness is required. Rumpelstiltskin uses his one random talent--turning straw into gold--to help a poor woman. He'll get her the gold if she sacrifices her first-born. This deal is made in haste--and, later, when a first-born actually arrives, the shit hits the fan.

I'm not sure there is a moral here; maybe it's just that life is terrifying, and you need to think on your feet, and even then, you may be in trouble. In any case, I appreciate the scariness, and I appreciate how Zelinsky makes his villain half-funny/half-alarming. The sleepy lids, the lazy posture, the cackling in front of an untamed fire. I also like the panic in the queen's eyes; she knows that her wealth and her luxurious gowns will not protect her.

Every page is beautiful. Zelinsky is an inspiration.

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