I enjoyed reading this book. It overall had sort of an interesting twist on the traditional story of rapunzel. ( )

A great little twist on the classic story of Rapunzel! Like the original Rapunzel, this new Rapunzel is from India and yes has beautiful hair too! This book tells of fairy tales in a multicultural way. Great for ages 1-4. ( )

Would prefer a picture book format, but that's me. ( )

Rapunzel is kidnapped from her home by a witch and locked into a tower. The witch would enter the tower by instructing Rapunzel to let down her long hair so the witch could climb up the tower and through the tower window. One day a prince who was riding near the tower heard Rapunzel singing. When he stopped to listen the witch appeared and climb into the tower using Rapunzel's hair. After the witch left the prince called to Rapunzel to let down her hair. The prince begins to visit every day and one day he tells Rapunzel that the next day he will help her escape. The witch overhears his plans and furiously cuts Rapunzel's hair and sends her into the forest. When the prince arrives the next day the witch uses Rapunzel cut hair to allow the prince to climb into the tower and blinds him. the prince wanders blindly through the forest until he hears Rapunzel singing. Reunited with her prince Rapunzel begins to cry and her tears cure the prince lost sight.

This version of Rapunzel keeps with the traditional telling of the story but what makes this book different is that it is part of Chloe Perkins' "Once Upon A World" series. The series takes classic fairy tales and change the setting to reflect a different culture. The setting of Rapunzel by Perkins is in India and Archana Sreenivasan, the illustrator, did a wonderful job reflecting the Indian culture. the most noticeable features of the illustrations are the colors used. The colors are bright and vibrant. The other important element is the way the characters are dressed. Rapunzel was a purple and blue sari, which is a traditional dress for Indan women, a tilak on her forehead and a small gold nose ring. The landscape and buildings all have traditional Indian features. For me changing the setting refreshed the story. ( )