Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarfs

K-Gr 4—In this fractured version of two classic tales, reset in the Northern Piney Woods of Maine, Punzel, "with long, long goldie hair," is locked in a tower by a witch to keep her hair from dragging on the dirty ground and getting muck in it. A well-meaning but very heavy Prince tries to rescue her; instead he vaults her into a duck pond where she meets "eight or nine seven dwarfs." The rest of the book is a mash-up of "Rapunzel," "Snow White," and "Sleeping Beauty" with the dwarves creating a "Sleeping Punzel Museum." But in the end, she gets her prince...sort of. The story is told in "old Moose Speech" with words such as "filthified" and "glop" scattered throughout the book. A helpful glossary of "moose words" is included at the beginning. The fractured English may not be helpful for children learning to read, but it will be entertaining in its pure silliness. A CD of Claflin's humorous narration keeps the story lively. Stimson's digital artwork is funny and has little details that children can pore over.—Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT