#313 of 1001 · June 9, 2021

Rumpelstiltskin Week is half gone, but I’m only just getting warmed up! Take a look at this masterful adaptation by Alison Sage and Gennady Spirin. Sage provides a motivation for the miller’s otherwise thoughtless lie: his wife convinces him that earning the king’s favor will pull them out of financial difficulty. Hence, he claims that his daughter (here named Rose) can spin straw into gold. Realizing too late the terrible penalty she will face if she cannot fulfill his rash boast, the father actually admits to his falsehood, but his pleas are ignored. Spirin’s illustrations evoke the world of classical art, not simply in the environments, objects, and fashion but in the formalistic grandeur of the visual style. He borders each page with gold or silver spinning wheel components. A long gray beard and mustache give his Rumpelstiltskin a lightly comical air. A note for folklore enthusiasts: Sage’s choice to have the king overhear Rumpelstiltskin’s name and convey it to Rose draws from the first edition of Grimm, who did not introduce the character of the queen’s trusty servant until later. #spin #spinning #wheel #gold #queen #baby #name #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks