Rapunzel: The Graphic Novel by: Stephanie Peters (Traditional or Folk Literature)

A man and woman are expecting a baby when the wife begins craving rampion from the witch’s garden.  The rampion is also known as Rapunzel, which is where the young girl in the story gets her name.  The husband sneaks into the garden in order to make his wife happy and is caught stealing from the witch.  The witch takes the couple’s baby in exchange for the rampion and keeps the baby girl, Rapunzel, locked up in a tall tower.  A prince finds Rapunzel and promises to save her.  When the witch finds out about the prince, she cuts off Rapunzel’s long hair and leaves her alone in a desert.  The witch blinds the prince and he is able to find Rapunzel by tracking down her singing voice.  Rapunzel heals the prince’s blindness with her tears and they live a happy life with their children.

Video of Rapunzel: The Graphic Novel 

I would use this book to create a discussion based around the book in the classroom.  My first discussion question would be, “When Rapunzel was trapped in the tower, she spent most of her days all by herself.  Imagine you were trapped by yourself somewhere.  How would you spend your time?”  Another question I would ask would be, “Each page of a graphic novel has several illustrations called panels.  What is your favorite panel in this book?  Describe what you like about the illustration and why it’s your favorite.”  My last discussion question would be, “Fairy tales are often told over and over again.  Have you heard the “Rapunzel” fairy tale before? How is this version of the story different from other versions you’ve heard, seen, or read?”  I would also give writing prompts to the students.  The first prompt would be, “Write a new middle and ending for the Rapunzel story.  Imagine that her parents had refused to give the witch their baby.  What would happen?  Would they have to go into hiding?  Would the witch catch them and put all three in the tower?”  The second prompt would be, “Before the prince found Rapunzel in the desert, he was forced to survive on his own.  As a blind person in the wilderness, what do you think was the biggest challenge he faced?”  The last prompt would be, “The story says Rapunzel and her family ‘lived in perfect happiness from then on.’  Write a story about their life together.  Will they stay in their cottage?  Will they try to return to the prince’s kingdom?”  The younger grades could choose one prompt out of the three and the older grades could respond to all three prompts.

AR Book Finder Book Level 2.5