Rapunzel

This retelling of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale hews closely to the original— including the scary part about the prince being blinded in his fall from the tower and the couple's tearful reunion: "Rapunzel was horrified to see how badly hurt he was and she wept to see his poor eyes." British illustrator Gibb's retro-style artwork observes sentimental convention, too. Romantics will thrill to the flowers woven through Rapunzel's blond tresses, the delicate greenery hanging from her aerie, and the intricate, silhouetted details of the fixtures in cutaway views of various dwellings. Rapunzel (whose dimensions are those of a fashion model) wanders through the forest like Disney's Snow White, dressed in gauzy pink garments and surrounded by deer, birds, and rabbits. The story does make a shift in emphasis that young readers will appreciate, pointing up the help given to the runaway couple by the forest animals, weaving them into Rapunzel's happily-ever- after with the prince: "[E]very now and then they would slip away... to spend a sunny afternoon with the forest creatures—friends they would never forget." An unapologetically frilly diversion. All ages. (May)