#282 of 1001 · May 9, 2021

The fairy tale theme week is back, and this time I’ll be delving into seven different versions of Rapunzel. We begin with a version translated from the German of the Brothers Grimm by Anthea Bell and illustrated by @majadusikova. Soft washes of color create a lush and pleasant landscape; Rapunzel’s tower rises high from among the trees, resembling a half-timbered cottage with shingled roof. A note for folklore enthusiasts: Bell, working from the seventh edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen, includes the detail of Rapunzel’s plan to weave a ladder out of silk so that she might escape from the tower. She translates “zauberin” as “witch” (instead of the more accurate “sorceress”). Following the Grimms’ bowdlerization of their own earlier material, Bell gives Rapunzel the thoughtless line, “Tell me, Godmother, how is it that you seem so much heavier than the young prince when you climb up?” In the first edition of the fairy tale, the maiden betrays herself with an innocent observation about the tightness of her clothes, unaware of the biological significance of her burgeoning belly. #rapunzel #garden #witch #tower #hair #prince #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks