This famous fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm turns out to have at least as many sources among literary tales as it does in folklore. Zelinsky chose elements from various versions, both Grimm and earlier, to compose this adaptation.

The story of Rapunzel begins with a couple who, after many years together, find that they are expecting a child. But the wife is plagued by a craving for rapunzel, an herb that grows in the walled garden of the sorceress next door. To save his wife's life, the husband steals rapunzel from this garden, only to be caught in the act by the angry sorceress. In return for sparing his life (and the rapunzel he holds), she demands that the husband promise her the newborn child, whom she will name Rapunzel. There follows the well-known story of a long-haired girl kept in an inaccessible tower, and a prince who finds her and wins her heart.

Kirkus Reviews called the art "grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command."

The Horn Book said, "Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision."