Rumpelstiltskin

I read the book Rumpelstiltskin retold by John Cech. John Cech received the Chandler Award of Merit for his work in children's literature. I've always loved the story of Rumpelstiltskin since I was a little girl. The story focuses on this little man showing up to help the miller's daughter, who later becomes the queen, turn straw into gold for the greedy king, but the little man will only help for something in return. The final thing he desires is the queen's first born child, but she refuses and her only way out is to guess the little man's name. In the end, the queen guesses the little man's name because the queen's messenger overheard the little man dancing and singing about his name being Rumpelstiltskin.

I think the appropriate grade levels for this book would range from kindergarten to fourth grade. I would use this book in my future classroom because I just love the story, and even though there is a lesson to be learned in this story, I just enjoy the story and the characters. One way I would use this book in my classroom is simply for pleasure reading in a read-aloud. Another way I would incorporate this book in my classroom would be to have a focus on comparing and contrasting between the characters.