Once upon a time there was a clever girl with a not-so-clever father. When her father claims she can spin straw into gold, the king forces the girl to perform this impossible task. She has no other choice than to accept a strange deal from a mysterious little man. But when he arrives and attempts to collect the debt, the fiendish trickster Rumpelstiltskin discovers that he is the one who has been tricked!
Format: Hardback
Pages: 48
Imprint: Scholastic UK
Publication date: 01/04/2026
Illustrator: Ellis, Carson
Rumpelstiltskin
Retold by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Carson Ellis
Review by Renata
Mac Barnett's laugh-out-loud retelling of this classic fairytale showcases his comic timing to full effect. Like all the best folktales, his version seems simultaneously ancient and completely fresh.
The piles of straw in Carson Ellis's illustrations glow as if they've already turned to gold and his version of the tale's knee-high villain is fantastically fiendish.
This is a gorgeous addition to any fairytale collection from two creators at the height of their powers.
