Illustrated by Carson Ellis

★“Two acclaimed creators retell a fairy-tale classic. Employing a conversational style, Barnett offers a fresh and immensely entertaining take on an old story... Deeply familiar but infused with 21st-century smarts; expect cries for repeated reads.'' — Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ “Following his reimagining of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” Barnett retells “Rumpelstiltskin,” his wisecracking lines (the miller is “a nice enough guy, but he had a big mouth”) joined by the medieval elegance of gouache spreads by Caldecott Honoree Ellis. … Short, punchy text juices the tale’s momentum (“Deal,” the girl replies to the wily man’s offers), while portraits trace the miller’s daughter’s journey from frog-catching child to regal royal and back again in this haunting tale about the power of knowing someone’s name.” — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ "Theirs is a pleasing alchemy, with Barnett employing conversational language anchored in understated humor and Ellis’ rich gouache illustrations evoking both wood-block prints and Renaissance portraiture. The original story, as told by the Brothers Grimm, isn’t much altered here; rather, it is filled out with creative details that enrich the narrative and give context to the life of the woman at the center of the whole debacle. Barnett takes full advantage of the challenge to guess Rumpelstiltskin’s name, gleefully spouting off a litany of names that range from silly to ostentatious to mundane, which will elicit cackles from young readers and listeners." —Booklist, Starred Review

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