Napoli's: The Prince of the Pond

Donna Jo Napoli has created more than a fairy tale revisitation in The Prince of the Pond; she may have created a whole science lesson on frogs and pond life. I definitely learned a few things about frogs I did not know before. The Frog Prince in this version needs to be taught the ways of a frog through the voice of a female frog friend. It is very easy to separate factual elements from fiction and will inevitably lead to discussions of such as well as issues brought up in the story: life cycle, food web, survival, fertilization. This is definitely a good choice for 2nd and 3rd grade read-alouds.

Napoli's: Zel

In her re-imagining of the fairy tale Rapunzel, Donna Jo Napoli stays true to the Grimm's version. She expands the story by developing in greater detail the characters of the prince, Rapunzel, and the witch (stepmother). She also explores themes of loneliness, love, obsession, rejection, and sacrifice. The only departure Napoli takes from the original here is that the prince meets Rapunzel before she is imprisoned in the tower. This allows for the witch's and the prince's obsession with Rapunzel to be juxtaposed throughout the story. She also explains the origins of the witch's power and the reason for Rapunzel's rapid hair growth. Should be fairly satisfying for those who appreciate novel-length fairy tales.