RUMPELSTILTSKIN

RUMPELSTILTSKIN retold by Paul O. Zelinsky

I know Rumpelstiltskin isn't exactly an Irish tale. In fact, it's German! However, I'm going to add it to my SPRING SERIES BOOKLIST because it centers around the love of GOLD!

Most of us are familiar with the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. The poor miller who brags to the king that he has a daughter who can spin straw into gold. The king who can't let an opportunity like that pass. Who takes her home and commands her to spin the straw into gold. The daughter who trades away everything she has including her first born child if the little man who appears will spin the straw into gold for her.

So why read a story like this to a child? I do, because it presents a prime opportunity to talk about the cost of lying and the ugliness of greed. Both traits almost cost a young woman her life! It almost cost a young mother her future child. Our character matters in life.

Paul O. Zelinsky won the 1987 Caldecott Award for Rumpelstiltskin. The beautiful artwork is rich in jewel tones befitting a tale of royalty and gold.