From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 19:44:22 -0600

I appreciate Paul Zelinskey's attention to detail in Rapunzel. During repeated readings, children will begin to discover many details - some are miniature. For example, he painted tiny birds in the foliage of the trees around the tower. He included even more miniature birds and other wildlife in Swamp Angel (1994). One can barely see a tiny distant tower in the painting of the sorceress leading Rapunzel away at age twelve but it's there!

Of all the details, the most obvious one for children might be Zelinskey's visual repetition of the bellflower as a page decoration. Bellflowers grow cultivated as "rapunzel" in the sorceress' garden before Rapunzel's birth, and they precipitate this version of the tale. Bellflowers can be seen growing wild at the reunion of Rapunzel & the prince many years later. The bellflower is used ornamentally in the tower's architecture and also on Rapunzel's pendant when she and the prince first meet in the tower. On the final page Rapunzel's daughter offers a sprig of rapunzel to her mother. For me the appearance of the bellflower always signals danger or tension, either imminent or soon. Do you respond this way, too? Does Zelinsky imply that the happy family will have to answer to the sorceress in the future?

Zelinsky's marvelous note at the end tells about the herb known both as an ornamental flower and as a salad green: "rampion" in English and the herb "Rapunzel" in German. He tells readers that a German edition of the tale in 1790 used the herb "Rapunzel." Elsewhere in Zelinsky's note he refers to the Italian landscape "where the campanile, or bell tower, plays a prominent role in architectural tradition." He continues, "The closeness of this word to 'Campanula,' the name of the bellflower genus to which rapunzel belongs, helped me to believe I was setting out on the right track." There's much more about the herb and many other elements concerning the tale and the book in Zelinsky's fine note.
  Thanks to everyone who shared comments during the past two weeks about the Caldecott Award winner and honor books. Maybe you outdid yourselves commenting on Rapunzel in December when you shared favorite books of the year, or maybe, because Rapunzel seemed to be a front runner all along, you were already "all talked out," as my mother used to say.

We'll be coming back to the book Harlem during our Coretta Scott King Awards Discussion.

It was so good to have your comments during the past two weeks, including those from individuals who've used one of these books with children. It was great to hear from Brenda Bowen, one of the editors and publishers who are part of the CCBC-NET community. Thanks to everyone shared background insights or technical information or just plain personal opinions. Regardless of what you have to say, your perspective or your vocabulary, we all gain in one way or another from what you step forward and tell (or ask) us all. If you just found one or more of the 1998 Caldecott books or for any other reason you plan write a Caldecott Award or Honor Book comment this weekend, please do! We'll begin our Newbery discussion on Monday.

Sincerely, Ginny
**************************************************************** Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/) University of Wisconsin - Madison (phone: 608/263720) Corner of N. Park St. and Observatory Drive Public service hours: Mon-Thurs 9:00-7:00; Fri-Sat 9:00-4:00
Received on Fri 30 Jan 1998 07:44:22 PM CST