#284 of 1001 · May 11, 2021

Here is a Rapunzel by Amy Ehrlich and @kriswaldherr, whose art, achieved through pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor, conveys soft shades of emotion and a quiet reverence for nature. The characters’ attire reveals elements of their true selves—the hanging sleeves of Rapunzel’s dress are embroidered with green vines, highlighting the association with her namesake plant; the prince’s slashed sleeves and fur collar demonstrate his wealth and status; Mother Gothel’s soft white hair and jeweled circlet lend her a druidic appearance. The illustration on each page is bounded by either a scenic frame image depicting a relevant plot detail or a decorative border that thematically echoes the particular emotional moment of the story—blooming flowers for Rapunzel’s first encounter with the prince, wilting leaves for the witch’s shearing of the maiden’s hair, piercing thorns for the prince’s nasty shock and blinding. Interestingly, the front matter notes that the text is “used by permission of Random House, Inc.” A comparison reveals that the story here is reprinted (with a few minor deletions) from Ehrlich’s The Random House Book of Fairy Tales. #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