* Rumplestiltskin  Paul Zelinsky

Rumplestiltskin is a traditional tale, it is a fairytale.  The story begins as an old poor man tells the king that his daughter can turn silken string into spun gold, and the king believes the old man.  He takes the daughter to his castle in his kingdom and gives her string to spin into gold.  She cries and is overwhelmed, because she can not spin string into gold.  Then this little man appears and says that he can spin it into gold but he must get something in return.  She offers her jewelry and the little man agrees and by morning has spun the string into gold.  The following day the king comes and sees that the string has been spun into gold and takes her to another room filled with even more to be spun into gold.  He then tells her that if it is not spun into gold by morning he will have her killed.  She begins to cry, and that same little man returns.  He asks what she will give him to spin the string into gold, but she has nothing left.  He then tells her that he will spin the silk into gold if she promises to give up her first born son to him.  She does so believing that she will never see the little man again, and also that she will not have a first born son for a long time to come.  The king comes and sees that the silk has been turned into gold and instead of killing the young woman he promises marriage to the prince.  They are married soon after and soon have a baby son.  The little man returns and wants the child.  He then says that if she can find out his name then he will forget the dowry of the first born son, and the woman sends one of her servants to follow the little man into the forest.  The servant hears the little man chanting his name and saying that the woman will never figure it out and soon he will have a son to teach.  The servant quickly returns to tell of the news that the little man's name is "Rumplstiltskin."  The following morning the little man returns to collect the newborn and the woman plays name games.  She purposely says the wrong name until he is ready to take the son, and then she says or is your name.... RUMPLESTILTSKIN.. and the little man screams NOOO and takes off out the window and the woman is able to keep her secret and her precious bundle of joy.      This story is a classic fairytale retold.  This story is best suited for older children do to the difficult language and the story line of possibly being killed due to inability to perform a task, and also giving up a child in return for a favor.