Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2017 In Woollvin’s newest fairy tale retelling, Rapunzel isn’t a stereotypical damsel in distress waiting around for a knight in shining armor. Per usual, the evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in the tall, dark tower all alone and threatened to curse her if she ever tries to escape. “But is Rapunzel frightened? Oh no, not she!” She devises a way to escape on sojourns and fills her days with exploring the outside world and formulating a plan to free herself from the witch forever. When the witch next pays her a visit, using Rapunzel’s hair, Rapunzel simply snips her tresses, and the witch tumbles to her demise. Rapunzel is now free (and with a cute bob to boot) and can devote the rest of her life to capturing other witches. Utilizing simple, bold strokes of yellow, black, and gray inks, Woollvin expressively fills each page with eye-catching details that will bring readers back for another look. Fans of her Little Red (2016) will enjoy her latest feisty and intelligent heroine. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2017 K-Gr 3— Rapunzel is a spunky girl with hair made of gold. The witch who climbs her tresses daily, steals some to sell and threatens a terrible curse if Rapunzel should ever leave the tower where she's kept captive. (At this juncture, readers find a hilarious picture of an irate frog with long yellow hair.) But this clever girl realizes that if the witch can get into the tower via her hair, she can use it to get out. After befriending a horse—not a prince—in the forest at the foot of her tower, Rapunzel formulates a plan to escape both the witch and her curse. The resolution is a bit violent, but not nearly as much as the original fairy tale, and it's more empowering. Woollvin's first book, Little Red , introduced readers to her quirky, folkloric black, white, and gray illustrations enlivened by a single, startling primary color on the heroine. VERDICT Children will adore Rapunzel and cheer her victory over evil personified. A perfect length for storytime and those seeking fairy tale variants.— Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.