Rumpelstiltskin by Mac Barnett illustrated by Carson Ellis

Employing a conversational style, Barnett offers a fresh and immensely entertaining take on an old story Kirkus Star review

Hopefully you do know the Grimm Brothers fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin but if you don't you could read this version. 

The best picture books are a partnership between author and illustrator. Carson Ellis has so carefully crafted amazing illustrations for this book and Mac Barnett adds a delicious layer of humour. 

"Her father, a poor miller, was a nice enough guy but he had a big mouth."

"My daughter ... She's really great' (It's true. She was.) ... And ... 'she can spin straw into gold.' (Of course, she couldn't.)

"And soon the queen had a child, a boy she named Tom. (A pretty nice thing to do all things considered.)

The list of names are sure to have your students or young reading companion in fits of laughter - Baxter, Thaxter, Cuthbert ... and Mac! to name just a few. 

Vocabulary: bragged, retinue, sauntered, and chalice. 

Publisher blurb: 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! 

This is the second in the groundbreaking new collection of masterfully retold fairy tales crafted by one of today's most celebrated and esteemed authors, Mac Barnett, paired with the stunning illustrations of the acclaimed and award-winning creator, Carson Ellis. With Barnett's signature pacing and wit, his subversive storytelling style and narrative voice, and Ellis's stunning folk-art style, this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin will introduce this classic story to a new generation of readers!

Think about the language used on this page: The little man swept into the room. 'And if I do it once more,' said the man, 'what will you give me?' The girl shook her head. 'I have nothing left. I gave you my necklace. My ring. I am bereft.' And she paused to consider her fate. But the little man smiled. 'I'll make you a deal. If you become queen, give your first child to me.' Well, who knew if that would ever happen. So the girl said, 'Deal.' And the man spun the straw into gold."

After you read and re-read Rumpelstiltskin you should take a look at this interview with Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis and have the book beside you so you can see the images and decisions they are discussing. And then take this deep dive into the illustrations. In this video Mac and Carson talk about their book. Sadly our Australian copy of this book has no dust jacket but if you live in the US be sure to look for the case reveal. 

A great new Rumpelstiltskin version for every library. Waking Brain Cells

Carson Ellis’s painterly gouache illustrations, inspired by 18th century fairy tale art and portraiture of the Renaissance era are a great complement to the telling, while the black and white illustrations resemble wood-block prints. Red Reading Hub

It would be good to share this book with a high school group. For example you could talk about the way this image is reminiscent of well-known paintings of the Madonna and child. Take a look here.

I highly recommend you share this picture book by Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis with the students in your library (ages 9+). Hopefully you will have time to read the book, then go back and look at each page and talk about the decisions made by Carson Ellis and also it would be fantastic to then read a couple of other illustrated versions of this fairy tale (see below). Here is a very useful set of teaching ideas from the publisher Scholastic. See lots more Mac Barnett books here. I especially recommend one of his older titles - Billy Twitters and his Blue whale problem. Here is my Meet Mac Barnett post. 

I was slightly shocked when Colby Sharp talked about reading Rumpelstiltskin to his Grade Five class only to discover many/most of the group were not familiar with this fairy tale - I do hope he has now shared other versions with his class and perhaps gone even further and delved into other 'important' fairy tales that readers need to know. There are so many references to fairy tales in literature, in advertising and in cartoons. We do kids a disservice if we don't build up their field knowledge of this important cannon. By coincidence I have just read Once Upon Tomorrow which is a book for readers aged 16+ and which interweaves the story of the miller's daughter and the character of Rumpelstiltskin. This brand-new dystopian verse novel is by Australian author Karen Comer. 

See inside this version here

Look for this fairy tale version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff also by Mac Barnett with his friend Jon Klassen:

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Here are two books illustrated by Carson Ellis:

Santa's First Christmas by Mac Barnett illustrated by Sydney Smith

Santa has been delivering presents to children all over the world for years, but he has never had his own Christmas celebration. After prompting by a bear who lives near the North Pole, his elves are determined to fix this and to give Santa the best Christmas ever with presents, a feast, a huge Christmas tree, lights and of course a celebration with the best company of all. 

There are some sweet touches in this story - such as when the elves deliver breakfast in bed to Santa on Christmas morning - fresh doughnuts; when Santa and the elves decorate the tree with gingerbread pigs; and when they make biscuits to leave out with a glass of milk for 'you know who'.  Santa settles back to read a famous story 'he had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly'. 

But who is going to arrive with the presents? And what will Santa receive?

You will love their Christmas feast:

"For the table was set with mince pies and pudding and rolls and roasts, Brussels sprouts, gravies, horseradish sauce, sparkling crystal glasses filled with milled wine, a yule log, poached pears, candy canes, several pies, and a ginger stout cake, powdered with sugar and six layers high."

Santa's First Christmas was published in 2024 and this week my friend gifted me a copy for Christmas 2025. 

There are so many Christmas books and of course so many that I love but this one is TRULY special partly because, amazingly, it is an utterly fresh story and partly or perhaps mainly because Hans Christian Andersen Award winning illustrator Sydney Smtih has created utterly delightful illustrations. Even the cover has a special feature called spot varnish. There is one double spread in this book (with no words) that made me gasp!

Cozier than a roaring fire and sweeter than milk and cookies, this earns its “Christmas classic” stripes with flying colors. Kirkus Star review

I am sure you have seen lots of other splendid books by Mac Barnett. I love Extra Yarn, 20 questions, Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem, and Just Because. Read more here. I have talked about Sydney Smith extensively on this blog (click on the label at the bottom of this post).

Look for this book in your local or school library - it is also by Mac Barnett:

Meet Mac Barnett in this interview with Jon Klassen

Mac Barnett is the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

When I saw this post today, so many viewpoints by Mac Barnett resonated with me and so I decided to share some quotes here on this blog. In this interview Jon Klassen talks to Mac Barnett just after he was officially appointed to a two-year term as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress.

Mac Barnett: I've been thinking a lot about this term "Ambassador." (In the U.K., this position is called the "Children's Laureate.") And the previous people who've held the post (I am the ninth Ambassador) have all interpreted the word in different ways. Jason Reynolds, for instance, encouraged kids to tell their stories and become their own ambassadors. [In Australian we also have a Laureate ACLF]

Jon Klassen: Does the position strike you as one with any clear goals, or do you kind of set those goals yourself, or is that the wrong way to look at an appointment like this?

Mac Barnett: (See poster above) The title is Behold, the Picture Book! and that logo is by Christian Robinson. ... I get to spend two years celebrating young people's literature in all its many forms, but especially picture books. ... I do think that we rush kids out of picture books, and that they appeal to a much wider swath of readers than we think. You and I always get excited when middle- and high-school teachers come to our signings and talk about using picture books in the classroom. You and I also always get bummed out when a parent tells us their five-year-old has grown out of picture books and now reads real books like Harry Potter, which may seem like a weird thing to say to us at a signing, but people say a lot of weird things to us at signings.

Mac Barnett: ... picture books are underestimated. The first reason is that people don't understand how picture books work. The picture book is a unique and peculiar art form. Understandably, there isn't widespread knowledge of picture book mechanics. ... there's this thing I know to be true but which most people don't (yet!) believe — that picture books are a great literature that deserves to stand alongside the novel, the short story, poetry, plays, etc.

Here is a video where Mac Barnett talks about this new and important role. And here is a three minute interview with NPR All things considered. 

Square

Extra Yarn

Twenty Questions

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem

Barnett says the picture book form doesn't get the same respect as other types of books – which he finds offensive. "Because we're dismissing kids," he said. "And if we think that children's books are anything less than real literature, it's because we think kids are something less than real people. If we believe they're real people, then they deserve good art." NPR February 2025

I would also like to mention this new set of board books by Jon Klassen - I have them on my to read and to buy and to gift list:

Twenty Questions by Mac Barnett illustrated by Christian Robinson

Publisher blurb: Not all questions have answers. Some have more than one answer. And others have endless answers, unfolding out to the edges of the world. In this spare yet expansive narrative, acclaimed author Mac Barnett poses twenty questions, both playful and profound. Some make us giggle. Others challenge our assumptions. The result is a quirky, wandering exploration of where the best questions lead—to stories. Intriguing, richly interactive, and brought to vivid life by Caldecott Honor recipient Christian Robinson’s bright and whimsical illustrations, Twenty Questions is a charming invitation to speculate without limits and know no bounds.

This book is puzzling and fun. I saw Colby Sharp talking about it earlier this year and he said this book only really came to life when it was shared with his class. I sure do wish I could do this too.

The questions make more sense when you see the wonderful illustrations by Christian Robinson but here are a few to give you a flavour of this book which I think should be added to all school library collections:

Which of these ladies just robbed a bank?

What is the boy hiding behind his back?

Where did the bandits bury the treasure?

Who gave Mr Beckett a bump on his noggin?

What did the lion get the lamb for her birthday?

I adore the end papers too.

Here is an interview with Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson where they talk about their book. You can either listen or read the transcript. And they talk about it here too. 

Each spread creates its own world, inviting readers to discuss—either orally or in writing—their own answers. A humorous vein runs through the book, but other emotions are also evoked, including poignancy. ... Quirky entertainment to jump-start creativity. Kirkus

There are no wrong answers. Each question is expressed in playful terms with amusing illustrations but the whole concept is thought provoking and, for older children, challenging. Reading Time

Twenty Questions is hilarious and whimsical and delightful. It’s a genius concept and it’s flawlessly executed. It’s basically a list of open-ended questions for children to answer - and I mean really open-ended. One page basically says “how many animals can you not see in this picture.” A big part of the humor is how there’s obviously no correct answer, and kids will undoubtedly love to play along anyhow. It’s very original and a lot of fun. Dad Suggests

The Three Billy Goats Gruff retold by Mac Barnett illustrated by Jon Klassen

"Who seeks to reach the grassy ridge? Who dares to walk across my bridge?"

This book is a delicious retelling of the famous story. It is not a fractured version instead it is a rich retelling with wonderful illustrations. Every school library needs to add this book to their collection.

I especially love all the ways the troll imagines cooking the goats that cross his bridge:

"A rump of goat in honey glaze. Goat smoked, goat poached, a goat pot roast. Goat smorgasbord! Goat smeared on toast! Goat escargot (That's goat plus snails)."

"Goat Benedict with hollandaise. Goat jerky, jerk goat, curried goat. Goat gravy in a silver boat. Goat flambe with candied yams. A goat clambake with goat, not clams!"

Three Billy Goats Gruff is a Norwegian fairy tale, collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe and first published between 1841 and 1844.

It’s amusing verbal play, and librarians and caregivers who love to read out loud will enjoy hamming it up ...  Kirkus review

I love how the illustrations grow from a small strip at the bottom of the first page to a full-page spread when the big goat does his thing.  Kids will love the story, too, with its funny troll and just enough disgusting details thrown in. Kids Book a Day

In this video Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett talk about their book. Here is the splendid trailer. 

I'm sure you will want to read other versions of this famous tale:

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett illustrated by Jon Klassen

"On a cold afternoon, in a cold little town, where everywhere you looked was either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimneys, Annabelle found a box filled with yarn of every colour."

Annabelle is a generous girl. She takes the wool and begins to knit. The cold people and animals become warmer. She knits coverings for things in her town and the once white landscape is filled with colour. BUT word spreads about this wondrous wool. 

"One day an archduke, who was very fond of clothes, sailed across the sea and demanded to see Annabelle."

I am not especially good at knitting but I can knit and in the past I have made some cute little items for the new babies of friends. Oddly, though, I do really like stories that incorporate knitting.  My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything as a terrific set of these on her Pinterest board called Yarn Yarns. 

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale for just $3 and it is in mint condition and it still has the all important dust jacket!  I am still smiling weeks later. 

A delight of a picture book that references the traditional while creating something completely new and magical.  Waking Brain Cells

With its hints of magic, a nod to the timeless tales we've known and loved for years, and a traditional good-over-evil ending, this book has the makings and the feel of a modern classic. James Patterson

Marc Barnett and Jon Klassen are such a terrific team - they seem made for each other - a bit like Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Awards for Extra Yarn:

• Winner the Zena Sutherland Award
• A New York Times Best Seller
• Kirkus Reviews Best of 2012
• Booklist Best Picture Book of 2012
• School Library Journal's Best of 2012
• A Horn Book Fanfare Selection
• An IndieBound Top 10 Kids Next List Pick
• A Junior Library Guild Selection

Here are some other books about knitting which I have explored here on this blog:

Mr Nick's Knitting

The Bush Jumper

A Friendship Yarn

Something Absolutely Enormous

Lester's Dreadful Sweaters

Square by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Square is the second book in a set of three. You can probably guess all the titles Circle, Triangle and here is Square. One very interesting thing I noticed after reading reviews of the Shapes Trilogy is the wildly divergent audience suggestions. Kirkus say Square is for 10+, Triangle is for ages 2-4 and Circle is for 4-8.  I wonder if these were the ages Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen anticipated for these three wonderful books.  In my view these three books could easily be enjoyed by children in Kindergarten right up to adult readers.

Square is such a deep book. How amazing. It has very few words. It does not use a complex vocabulary and has only two shapes as the characters. For me, though, this is not a simple book. It is a book about work (is it futile?), creativity, self esteem and point of view. There would be so much to discuss here with a class of older students.

Square is working hard. His 'job' seems to follow the same routine every day. He seems okay with his life. Perhaps he doesn't question why the blocks need moving each day. Along comes Circle. She sees his blocks and declares they are a work of art. Square in not sure about this new idea. Circle praises the talents of Square and commissions him to make a circle. Square tries so hard but making a perfect circle from one his blocks proves impossible. Square feels like a failure but Circle sees the world in a different way. She sees wonder in his work - a circle of stones with a puddle in the middle which provides a perfect reflection.

"You are a genius,' said Circle.
But was he really?"

I love the shape of Square - it is a square, of course, but with rounded edges. I love the cover made from thick card the kind you usually find on board books. And I love those expressive eyes which seem to look straight at the reader.

Walker Books have made a set of teaching notes based around all three books. Watch this video where Mac and Jon talk about their books. Here is an interview with Mac and Jon.

Read some reviews.

• Publishers Weekly
• The Book Sniffer

This book takes a sweeter turn from its prankish predecessor in that Square works hard to create something for Circle, only to feel like he failed; but when Circle sees what he created, she is “beguiled” once more by his genius.  School Library Journal

For all its brevity, chockablock with philosophical topics to ponder and debate. Kirkus

Leo a ghost story by Mac Barnett illustrated by Christian Robinson

Today a big box of new books arrived in our school library. This is one of the joys and privileges of my job!  I grabbed a handful and sat down to read and read starting a long time after school had finished and leaving school in the dark.

Leo a ghost story made me gasp with delight.  I do have a particular love for books about imaginary friends - I know Leo is a ghost but he is also a friend and for a short time he does take on the role of an imaginary friend.

Leo has had a happy life living in an empty house "reading books and drawing picture in the dust." One day a new family move into his house.  Leo makes a gesture of friendship.  "He made them mint tea and honey toast.  Leo thought he was being a good host."  The family cannot see Leo and panic. There is a ghost in their new house.  They hide in the bathroom and the little boy says "I hate ghosts!"  Leo knows it is time to leave. He wanders the streets and he sees a city that is both familiar and strange, noisy and wonderful.  As he wanders along he meets little girl drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.  At this point you should stop and look at the end papers which are filled with Jane's drawings.  Jane says hello to Leo and he is amazed.  He is so happy to be seen and he joins her imaginative games with gusto.  Jane has a collection of imaginary friends - Sir Ruffs, a loyal dog, Sir Mews, a loyal cat and Sir Squawks.  

One of the most magical moments in this book comes when Jane says to Leo:

"Don't tell Sir Ruffs ... but you are my best imaginary friend."

The problem is Leo is not an imaginary friend.  He is a ghost.  How can he tell Jane?  Will she reject him when she knows the truth?

If you have a dust jacket copy of the book look at the cover underneath - there is a drawing of the coat of arms designed by Leo as a gift for Jane.  After all they have had a wonderful evening playing knights and dragons.

I am a huge fan of Mac Barnett.  Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem is a firm favourite of mine. Mac Barnett has listed some review comments for Leo a ghost story on his web site.  I also loved sharing Extra Yarn with our classes last year when we explored a mini theme about knitting.

A whimsical tale from Barnett aptly accompanied by enthralling artwork by Robinson. 

What’s not to drool over?

Together, words and pictures construct a whimsical, delightful story that deeply respects the child. And in Jane, they create a brilliant heroine whose powers lie within her wit, 

her open mind, and her freedom of play.

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale problem by Mac Barnett illustrated by Adam Rex

When I saw the cover of this book Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem I immediately thought of one of my most favourite picture books Billy's Bucket.  In addition to the main character called Billy there are a lot of things that could link these two books.  The main thing is that these boys both have gumption.

Billy's parents constantly threaten him :  "clean up your room ...brush your teeth ... finish your baked peas or we're buying you a blue whale."  Billy our narrator is, however, a very smart boy.  He knows this is impossible since a blue whale is the biggest animal in the world.  "It's not like you can just have one delivered to your house overnight" or can you?  The next page has no words just a double spread showing an enormous delivery truck arriving from the company called "Fedup delivering punishments worldwide." The delivery guy even has Fedup on his cap and in the distance you can see another man with two large flashlights directing the truck which contains the blue whale.

Mum and dad explain the blue whale is Billy's responsibility and this includes taking the whale to school. Billy tucks his skateboard under the whale and tows him with his bike up the hill.   When he arrives the science teacher is delighted.  Even though Billy enjoys talking about his whale he has to endure a hard time among his peers.  On the way home the bus breaks down but the whale saves the day.

Billy arrives home but his torture is not complete.  Dad gives Billy the blue whale owner's manual and Billy sees all the instructions for washing, waxing and checking the whale for barnacles but his biggest problem is how can he feed the whale.  He needs krill and ten thousand gallons of sea water.  How will Billy solve this problem? The ending is such a terrific twist this is a book you will want to read over and over again.

One more thing you must look closely under the dust jacket and at the marvelous end papers which reminded me of an old fashioned newspaper.  You can read about the process of illustrating this book here. Here is the web site for the author.  Extra Yarn also by Mac Barnett is a very special title which I will review in coming weeks. Here are some lesson ideas.

Definitely funny and slyly subversive.