How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel Wendy Meddour 9781847806628

With the wind in his hair, and blowing his hooter,
Along came the prince on the back of a scooter.
" Rapunzel, Rapunzel, please let down your hair!"
Called the prince from down on the bottom stair...
But Rapunzel just sat -
As still as a wall;
She didn' t think much of the prince at all.

Rapunzel sits on the sixteenth floor of an inner city block, bored, dreaming and looking out at the rain. No one can rouse her from her apathy, not the milkman or the postman or the baker or her aunt - or even the prince. But when at last a letter is delivered, it contains news that has Rapunzel on her feet again. She has a new job at the library! And suddenly her life is busy, sparkling, exciting and stimulating. " For despite her long hair and her ravishing looks, she loved nothing better than reading good books!"

Rebecca Ashdown studied at Norwich School of Art, Westminister University and Central St Martins, and then worked as a graphic and motion designer, film-maker and freelance vector artist. She is now concentrating on illustration and uses drawing, printmaking and digital techniques to create her pictures. How the Library (not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel is Rebecca's first published book. She lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

WENDY MEDDOUR is the author and illustrator of A Hen in the Wardrobe and The Black Cat Detectives in the Cinnamon Grove series for Frances Lincoln. The series has been critically acclaimed, and A Hen in the Wardrobe won the John C Laurence Award for writing that improves relations between races. It was also shortlisted for the BranfordBoase Award for an outstanding first novel.
Wendy was brought up in Aberystwyth and spent many years teaching English at Oxford University. She is also the author of the bestselling Wendy Quill books and writes and paints from her home in Wiltshire.

'Exuberant illustrations and quirkly humorous rhyming couplets tell a tale of a girl whose fate lies in her own hands, rather than Prince Charming'sEURO | adults are bond to love this as much as the children they are reading it to.'

'with bouncy verse and fun illustrations, this is a delightful book'

"This is how every fairy tale should be written, with the protagonist - regardless of gender - saving themselves from a life of solitude and boredom. The rhymes are peppered with repetition making them fun to read aloud and easy for young readers to remember. The bright, colourful illustrations are superb, filled with endless details that tell stories of their own. A great read."

' It does what is says on the tin, in what the Americans call a "fractured fairy tale" beautifully illustrated by a debut artist Rebecca Ashdown.'

Sick of Disney princes and the happy ever after myth? Then this is the book for you! Making librarians everywhere smile a little wider this is a fun fairy tale, re-told.

"This is how every fairy tale should be written, with the protagonist - regardless of gender - saving themselves from a life of solitude and boredom. The rhymes are peppered with repetition making them fun to read aloud and easy for young readers to remember. The bright, colourful illustrations are superb, filled with endless details that tell stories of their own. A great read."

'Exuberant illustrations and quirkly humorous rhyming couplets tell a tale of a girl whose fate lies in her own hands, rather than Prince Charming' s... adults are bond to love this as much as the children they are reading it to.'

' with bouncy verse and fun illustrations, this is a delightful book'

' From the first time we read it it has become one of my daughter' s favourites and she asks me to read it to her every day, partly because she loves the illustrations and partly because of the interactions that take place in the book and the way that the story develops.'

"This really is a fabulous book, which manages to deal with some very current themes, and show a great deal of diversity too, while remaining utterly charming and child-friendly. Definitely one that will enchant all ages."

'A fantastic picture book, with all kinds of wonderful messages.'