Retelling ok, it is very brief (good for ESL?)Not a huge fan of illustrations (Erik Valdez Y Alanis.) ( )

Rumpelstiltskin: the Graphic Novel is based on the traditional fairy tale first popularized by the Brothers Grimm. A man, caught stealing from the king, promises to repay his debt through his daughter, who has the ability to spin straw into gold. Though the daughter has no such ability she agrees to try so that her father is not sent to prison. While she is overwhelmed with the impossibility of the task, a little hobgoblin shows up and promises to do the job for a price. Will the girl be willing to pay the price the hobgoblin has set? Find out in Rumpelstiltskin: the Graphic Novel.

Although this is a direct adaptation of the Brothers Grimm version, the illustrations give this story a modern edge. Vibrant colours, detailed images and varied frame sizes provide you with plenty to look at on each page. While I found it to be overwhelming I imagine that the busy quality of these images would be appealing to others. This could be a good introduction to fairy tales for children who prefer to read graphic novels as there is plenty of text interspersed with such large eye catching images. It could also be used as a classroom tool as there are questions for discussion, writing prompts, glossary and more about the original story in the final few pages.

While this graphic novel has not won any awards it has gained much acclaim from online fans. ( )

Mirabelle’s father has stolen from the king and at his trial promised that his daughter will spin gold from straw to repay what he has stolen. The only problem is that Mirabelle cannot spin gold, but such is her love for her father that she will not say that he has told a lie. All seems lost until a hobgoblin appears and offers to spin gold for Mirabelle, but for this he will require a steep price.

Large vibrant pictures with cartoon stylised characters will draw the eye of young children, and the tried and tested fairy tale formula will delight them. Though the story does not exactly follow the traditional tale of Rumpelstiltskin it in no way suffers for it. For its intended audience it is exactly what it should be, concise and entertaining.

As a side note the lining of the cover is made of a textured paper with rough raised worm tracks. I couldn’t help but rub my fingers over it again and again. This great tactile reward would be easy to overlook, but is great to have in an early reader book. ( )

An excellent series with absolutely gorgeous, usually stylized artwork. Each title includes a glossary, history of the tale in question, and discussion questions, making them as valuable educationally as they are recreationally. I highly recommend them for anyone with children interested in fairy tales. ( )

The fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin is retold in graphic novel format with a few changes. When Mirabelle's (the Miller's daughter) father finds himself about to go to jail for stealing he tells the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. Each night Mirabelle is locked in a room full of straw and each night a mysterious man helps her spin straw into gold. This version of Rumpelstiltskin has a much more empowered and active character. For one, she actually has a real name, she confronts the king over his greed and asks the king if he really loves her, and she figures out Rumpelstiltskin's name. It seems as if Martin Powell was not happy with the passivity of the Miller's daughter in other versions. The plot is the same as the more traditional version of Rumpelstiltskin and it revolves around the straw into gold and finding Rumpelstiltskin name. There are a few additions such as the king falling in love with Mirabella, the King's decision to give all of the gold to the poor, and Rumplestiltskin melting when Mirabella finds out his name. The illustrations do a good job of conveying the vastness and darkness of each straw filled room. There are themes of good vs evil. The messages that one should not lie or make hasty promises are less fleshed out because Mirabella is more of a heroine and less of a victim. Rumpelstiltskin also seems more evil in this version and less of a magical helper. The king is also clearly put on the side of good. The illustrations are stunning and have very intense bright colors to them. It is possible that the illustrator has been influenced by Japanese comics because many of the characters have very large eyes. The layout of the illustrations are very dynamic and often are divided into uneven sections through diagonal partitions. (It is hard to explain this without an example). This version of Rumpelstiltskin seems to reflect our current culture, rather than the culture of the traditional tale because the happiness and empowerment of the Miller's Daughter are emphasized. Recommended. ( )