Ages 4 and up.

In this sumptuously illustrated picturebook, award-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky delves into the mystery and magic of this timeless fairy tale. When a wife, expecting her first child, looks into the garden of a great sorceress, she develops an uncontrollable desire for the ripe green rapunzel growing there. To satisfy his wife, the husband ventures into the garden where he is confronted by the sorceress. Hearing the man's story, she agrees to let him have the greens, but only in return for the child his wife is bearing. Taking the child to a great tower, the sorceress names her Rapunzel and raises her there in luxury, but in solitude. Then, one day, a young prince happens to pass by and hear Rapunzel singing, and the stage is set for both romance and tragedy to bloom. Your young readers and listeners will be enchanted by this powerful and touching story and Zelinsky's glowing, luxurious paintings -- resplendent in the style of the Italian Renaissance -- which capture every moment.