Having read the other “princess” retellings by Fawzia Gilani I didn’t rush out to acquire this book, but when a friend said it was available at the public library, I was surprised and admittedly curious. This book just like the others in the series are very much in my eyes “Islamic fiction” for how centered Islam is for the characters and how it is used to frame the story toward a religious message. The fact that a small city library in a Southern state purchased and shelves it, is pretty impressive. As for the story, well it is really long, and wordy, and every page is filled with tiny text filled lines that I doubt most kids will be able to sit through. The Islamic content is very present, the Uyghur setting appreciated, but wow do the 41 pages pack a lot of text in to a fairytale re-telling. There is a lot of Islam and Quran and at times it fits well, at other times incredibly forced. The book claims it is for ages 5-8, but truthfully I don’t know that any age would be able to sit through it and be engaged.
In a tangled forest lives a wife and her husband, a clockmaker and a woodcutter. Before they married, the wealthy and cold Shuna Leng had hoped to marry the woodcutter, but he never asked, and she never forgot. As a result seeing her neighbors happy keeps her jealous heart plotting and conniving to bring the couple misery and pain.
One day, while pregnant, the wife has a strong craving for rapunzel greens. Some just happen to grow on Shuna Leng’s property. The husband is nervous to ask, but when his wife falls weak he makes an effort. She doesn’t answer, so he picks some growing along the path and leaves coin for payment. This wife regains her strength and then begins craving them again. He decides to do what he did last time, but is caught. The evil woman agrees that he can have all the rapunzel greens he wants but if the baby is a girl she shall be given in payment.
Once born the baby is taken and kept hidden from her parents. Various governesses are employed over the years to tend to Rapunzel and who teach her Islam and kindness. Ever so often they have to up and move and abandon their routine when people start asking questions, but the lessons learned from the Quran stay with Rapunzel and she endures what she must.
Eventually she ends up in a tower, she offers to help a stray boy recite Quran, and the evil plot of keeping her locked up unravels. Yes SPOILER she is returned to her parents.
It is a decent retelling in theory, it just is really long, and there isn’t quality character building to invest the reader to the side stories being presented.
Islamic School Librarian 