A strange little man helps the miller's daughter spin straw into gold for the king on the condition that she will give him her first-born child.

0nce upon a time a miller's daughter was given an impossible task by a cruel and greedy king. She had to spin straw into gold. And who should show up to help her but an odd little man named Rumpelstiltskin. According to tradition, the gold-bedazzled king and the miller's daughter are wed. But wait just a minute! This king is definitely not husband material, and there's someone else who is -- a hardworking guy who's supportive and nice looking, and who really comes through in a pinch. Why not marry Rumpelstiltskin? In Diane Stanley's merry rethinking of the traditional tale, Rumpelstiltskin and the miller's daughter are wed...and then sixteen years later their only daughter is stuck in the same dilemma: She's been locked in a room full of straw to spin for a greedy king! She could call for help from her father, but this fairy-tale heroine has some canny plans of her own. How Rumpelstiltskin's daughter sets things to rights in the troubled kingdom, while achieving a unique place for herself, makes for a wise and witty tale of kindness and cleverness rewarded. Diane Stanley's wickedly funny text and zesty illustrations put a delightful new spin on a classic fairy tale. Rumpelstiltskin's daughter may not be able to spin straw into gold, but she is more than a match for a monarch whose greed has blighted an entire kingdom. 2000-2001 Georgia's Picture Storybook Award & Georgia's Children's Book Award Masterlist 01-02 Land of Enchantment Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 3-6) 99-00 Children's Book Award

A strange little man helps the miller's daughter spin straw into gold for the king, on the condition that she will give him her first-born child.

Six alternative versions of the old legend, Rumpelstiltskin.

Everyone knows Rumpelstiltskin’s story—or thinks they do. But this innocent-seeming tale hides generations of women’s shrewd accounts of their relationships with men. And the verdict is not flattering. The fairytale may count among the world’s oldest dirty jokes. The theme of the tale, an observation repeated and varied throughout, mocks male inadequacy in many forms, beginning with sexual failure. The punchline misplaced, over time its wickedly funny insights about adult life passed for childish nonsense. The story hides, in plain sight, criticism of workplace sexual harassment—centuries before society took notice of the indignity. Rumpelstiltskin tells a feminist tale with lessons for men and women, about what women said to each other when they thought their private conversation and complaints passed unnoticed. In the story’s different versions, the Brothers Grimm, who recorded the tale, missed women’s wry observations.

THIS IS A BOOK THAT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE. IT IS A COMPILATION OF TWENTY YEARS DEVOTED EFFORT FOR A LOCAL WRITERS GROUP. GROUP MEMBERS WERE GIVEN BIWEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS. IN CLASS, THEY WERE EACH GIVEN TIME TO READ THEIR STORY AT WHICH TIME THE INSTRUCTOR AND CLASS MEMBERS WERE ALLOWED TO CRITIQUE AND COMMENT. AFTER A FEW YEARS, CAROL PUBLISHED TWO ARTICLES IN A MAGAZINE. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED. WHEN I ASKED IF SHE WOULD PUBLISH MORE SHE SAID: “NO, I DID THAT ALREADY.” WHEN CAROL PASSED, I GATHERED HER WRITINGS INTO THIS COLLECTION, THEY ARE SHORT, VERY FUNNY, ALWAYS THOUGHT PROVOKING AND JUST WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IN THESE OFTEN SAD AND SCARY TIMES. YOU WILL ENJOY THE RIDE. EXCERPTS AVAILABLE ON CAROL'S WEBSITE WWW.CAROLRUGGIERO.COM .