Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter

About the Book

In the original fairy tale, a miller tells a greedy king that his daughter can spin straw out of gold. She can’t but a little man shows up who does in exchange for jewelry and the promise of the woman’s first child. But once the woman marries the king and has a child, she doesn’t want to give up the baby. The little man agrees that if she can guess his name, which is Rumpelstiltskin, she can keep the child. In Stanley’s very fractured fairy tale version, Rumpelstiltskin is a conscientious, family-oriented man and the miller’s daughter decides she’d rather marry him than the king. He’s a good provider (the gold) and she has a weakness for short men! They elope. And then comes the story of their daughter…

Why this Book?

Because it’s so clever, the dialogue and pictures are so funny, and the story of the daughter in the second half shows her becoming the prime minister instead of the king’s wife. She tricks the greedy king and thanks to her political savvy, conditions improve all over the country. If you are giving this to a child, be sure they know the original story–or also send them the elegant version by Paul Zelinsky. (Did I point out that she has a weakness for short men? My favorite line.)