What do you think?
Rate this book
The Other Side of the Story
Frankly, I'd Rather Spin Myself a New Name!: The Story of Rumpelstiltskin as Told by Rumpelstiltskin
Rumpelstiltskin's gold-spinning skills are legendary, but what's the little man's story? This first-person narrative charms and sparkles, while delivering a subtle lesson on point of view and supporting Common Core standards.
24 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2016
313 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 24, 2023
Okay…this one was a bit amusing.
November 10, 2022
This text was found after doing a general search of “Rumpelstiltskin” on Goodreads. It does not hold any specific honors or awards, however it has been rated and reviewed positively by several sources.
In this text, Jessica Gunderson retells the classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin or “Al”, as his mother calls him, tells the story from his own point of view. He describes how he is a gold-spinner and people of the town pay him well for spinning straw into gold. He describes it as a science. One day, he is walking and hears someone crying. He discovers that it is a young maiden who says that the king will kill her is she doesn’t spin the straw into gold. He bargains to complete the job for the woman’s necklace. The maiden is found crying again and agrees to pay Al with her ring. On a third day, the maiden is crying again. She has nothing left to bargain. Al begins to think about how he wants a family, but he travels for work too much. In his mind, he also realizes that he doesn’t want anyone to find out his real name (Rumpelstiltskin). He tells the maiden that he will take her first born son in return for his service. Some time later, the maiden, turned queen, has a baby. Al goes to get the baby and the queen refuses! The only way for the queen to keep her baby now was to guess Al’s real name in three days. After days of guessing, the queen gets to keep her baby. Rumpelstiltskin is completely surprised and even more annoyed that people now know his real name! Due to this exchange, he changes his payment policy: “Get paid right away, and take only cash.”
I accessed the print version of the book. It is illustrated by Janna Bock. The illustrations are bright and rich, as they are filled with vibrant colors and realistic images. The images greatly connect with the details of the text. Also, each time a character expresses deep emotion, the text is in a different font and bolded to stand out from the rest of the text.
I appreciated the added humor that the author shares in the text. I got the idea that Rumpelstiltskin was a suave, smooth talking businessman, not a creepy little creature from my childhood.
I would recommend this text for intermediate students in third through 5th grades. This text is great to use for point of view. The text could be compared with a more traditional version’s point of view. Further, discussion of how a character’s point of view can influence how an event is described. Rumpelstiltskin does not see himself as having magic, but his work as science. He also does not seem to see any one character as a villain.
In this text, Jessica Gunderson retells the classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin or “Al”, as his mother calls him, tells the story from his own point of view. He describes how he is a gold-spinner and people of the town pay him well for spinning straw into gold. He describes it as a science. One day, he is walking and hears someone crying. He discovers that it is a young maiden who says that the king will kill her is she doesn’t spin the straw into gold. He bargains to complete the job for the woman’s necklace. The maiden is found crying again and agrees to pay Al with her ring. On a third day, the maiden is crying again. She has nothing left to bargain. Al begins to think about how he wants a family, but he travels for work too much. In his mind, he also realizes that he doesn’t want anyone to find out his real name (Rumpelstiltskin). He tells the maiden that he will take her first born son in return for his service. Some time later, the maiden, turned queen, has a baby. Al goes to get the baby and the queen refuses! The only way for the queen to keep her baby now was to guess Al’s real name in three days. After days of guessing, the queen gets to keep her baby. Rumpelstiltskin is completely surprised and even more annoyed that people now know his real name! Due to this exchange, he changes his payment policy: “Get paid right away, and take only cash.”
I accessed the print version of the book. It is illustrated by Janna Bock. The illustrations are bright and rich, as they are filled with vibrant colors and realistic images. The images greatly connect with the details of the text. Also, each time a character expresses deep emotion, the text is in a different font and bolded to stand out from the rest of the text.
I appreciated the added humor that the author shares in the text. I got the idea that Rumpelstiltskin was a suave, smooth talking businessman, not a creepy little creature from my childhood.
I would recommend this text for intermediate students in third through 5th grades. This text is great to use for point of view. The text could be compared with a more traditional version’s point of view. Further, discussion of how a character’s point of view can influence how an event is described. Rumpelstiltskin does not see himself as having magic, but his work as science. He also does not seem to see any one character as a villain.
November 3, 2020
Jessica Gunderson retells this classic tale by The Brothers Grimm from the point of view of Rumpelstiltskin, or Al, as his mother called him. In this version, “Al” has a lucrative career as a door-to-door traveling gold-spinner turning straw into gold because, as Al says, “everyone loves gold”. When walking past the king’s castle, Al hears a maiden crying and offers to spin the room full of straw into gold to save her life. The grateful young woman offers her necklace as payment, even though this savvy little businessman admits he prefers cash. Of course, when the king’s greed forces the young maiden into the same predicament for the following two nights with ever-growing piles of straw to spin into gold, Al accepts the gift of her ring before making a deal to spin gold in return for the desperate maiden’s first-born child. After a year, the maiden-turned-queen has all but forgotten her agreement until the published announcement of her “super cute” baby prompts Al to visit her, eager to bring his new infant son home unless she guesses his name correctly within three days. Not only an example of a first-person narrative perspective, but Gunderson’s updated 2016 spin on this tale also shows us a more tongue-in-cheek, relatable entrepreneur as Rumpelstiltskin who offers readers a nontraditional gender role of a single man who desires children of his own. Janna Bock’s illustrations could easily be imagined as an animated feature, making Rumpelstiltskin much less a villain and more a witty and Disney-fied negotiator wanting to close a deal.
This book is part of Gunderson’s series The Other Side of the Story of other retold fairy tales and would be suitable for children in grades 2-3 and can be found in the digital library at MyOn.com. When using fractured fairy tale books from this series in my own classroom, students have really seemed to enjoy these humorous versions of familiar classics.
This book is part of Gunderson’s series The Other Side of the Story of other retold fairy tales and would be suitable for children in grades 2-3 and can be found in the digital library at MyOn.com. When using fractured fairy tale books from this series in my own classroom, students have really seemed to enjoy these humorous versions of familiar classics.
November 4, 2020
This book is part of a series "the other side of the story". I have copies of each of the books. The books are wonderful spin-offs. I have every edition. I read this book two ways I listened to the audio of the book and read the book on Kindle.
The audio version provided me with different voices that spoke more to the characters. The Kindle version allowed me to see the vivid illustrations which give more perspective to the story.
Rumpelstiltskin (Al) as he wants to be called is spinning straw for a maiden who makes a deal with him although she forgets about the deal Al still tries to hold her accountable.
The book is written from the perspective of Al who has his only story to tell. Al presents himself as an entrepreneur who not only has service but he also helps his community who just wants a child of his own.
This book offers a fun way to look at traditional literature that connects to today's language. It provides students a way to make predictions and infer what will happen next. The fantasy of the book gives another version of the story told from a perspective that the traditional literature does not offer.
I highly recommend this book for all ages, it would be a fun read.
The audio version provided me with different voices that spoke more to the characters. The Kindle version allowed me to see the vivid illustrations which give more perspective to the story.
Rumpelstiltskin (Al) as he wants to be called is spinning straw for a maiden who makes a deal with him although she forgets about the deal Al still tries to hold her accountable.
The book is written from the perspective of Al who has his only story to tell. Al presents himself as an entrepreneur who not only has service but he also helps his community who just wants a child of his own.
This book offers a fun way to look at traditional literature that connects to today's language. It provides students a way to make predictions and infer what will happen next. The fantasy of the book gives another version of the story told from a perspective that the traditional literature does not offer.
I highly recommend this book for all ages, it would be a fun read.
May 14, 2025
I found this version of Rumpelstiltskin off the list of Rumpelstiltskin retellings on Goodreads. Due to the fact that it was narrated by Rumpelstiltskin himself, I thought it would have more variation from the original story. Alas, it did not. Al, as he preferred to be called, was still a little person; he still asked for the maiden’s firstborn child, and even the first 3 names the maiden guessed are the same. I watched a video of a woman reading this book, and she mispronounced the name Melchior (mel-key-or) as mel-choir, but to be fair, that is what it looks like. I also wish she had shown the whole page of the book rather than zooming in and moving around the page. I wanted to see more of the illustrations. If I were to read this to students, I would say grades 1-3 are good, but I would be more likely to read the original anyway. This was less a retelling than the same story from a different narrator.
October 29, 2023
I read the picture book, Frankly, I’d Rather Spin Myself a New Name!: The Story of Rumpelstiltskin as told by Rumpelstiltskin, by Jessica Gunderson and illustrated by Janna Rose Bock. I found this book on a twisted or flipped fairytale list online. I read this book as a virtual pdf. This book is part of a series called The Other Side of the Story. The series takes multiple traditional stories or fairy tales and tells them from the villain’s perspective. The story mostly follows the plot of the traditional version of Rumpelstiltskin, but it shows Rumpelstiltskin in a more positive light. I would typically classify the tale of Rumpelstiltskin as a Folktale due to his trickster nature, but that is not present in this version. In this version, Rumpelstiltskin goes by Al because he hates his name. Spinning straw into gold is Rumpelstiltskin’s job, and he travels from town to town spinning straw into gold in exchange for money. One day, he is walking and hears someone crying. He then discovers a young girl crying in a room full of straw. The girl tells him that because her father bragged to the town that she can spin straw into gold, even though she can’t, the king is making her spin straw into gold for him or he is going to kill her. Rumpelstiltskin agrees to complete the task in exchange for a necklace. This continues the next day and the girl pays Rumpelstiltskin with a ring. On the third day, Rumpelstiltskin finds the girl crying again, this time she will be made queen if she is able to spin another room of straw into gold; but, she is out of items to pay Rumpelstiltskin with. Rumpelstiltskin thinks about how he always wanted to be a father and suggests that his payment be the girl’s first born child. The girl agrees and Rumpelstiltskin gets to work. Time passes and the girl has a baby, but when Rumpelstiltskin goes to collect his payment the girl refuses. The pair strike a deal that if the girl can guess Rumpelstiltskin’s real name in three days she can keep her baby. The night before the third day, Rumpelstiltskin is convinced the girl will be unable to guess his name, so he dances about and sings a song about his name being Rumpelstiltskin. He doesn’t realize the girl is nearby and overhears him. The girl is then able to guess his name and she is able to keep her child. Rumpelstiltskin ends the story upset and disappointed because now everyone in the town knows his real name and he doesn’t get to experience being a father. Again, this version is different from the original traditional tale, but both versions teach the same lessons, be honest and do not be boastful. The illustrations are an important part of this version. Each day that Rumpelstiltskin helps the girl the illustrations show the piles of straw growing larger and the girl becoming more frantic. Also, at the end it is not said that the girl overhears Rumpelstiltskin’s song, but she can be seen in the background of the illustrations. The illustrator’s use of very soft lines seemed to add to the setting of a distant past. This book could be used with children in numerous ways. Teachers could use it with young children to work on connecting text to illustrations and how the illustrations provide readers with additional information. Teachers could also use it with middle aged students to discuss the importance of perspective, this could be done by reading this book alongside a version of Rumpelstiltskin told by the girl. This book could also be used as a mentor text for a short story writing assignment in which they had to write their own version of a popular fairytale or folktale.
May 12, 2018
This version of the Rumpelstiltskin story is told from the point of view of Rumpelstiltskin himself. I enjoyed this book's style much more than the original story. First off this book was much more of a true picture book, the illustrations were large, often two pages and helped the story along more than the other versions I read. The story opens and closes with Rumpelstiltskin speaking directly to the reader, in the beginning he talks about his dislike of his name and how he prefers t be called AL like his mother did. He gives his own background story, explaining that he's a gold spinner and how business is good as everyone loves gold. The story is funny as well, unlike the original, because after he accepts the first job for the Miller's daughter in exchange for a necklace he explains that he would have preferred cash but accepted anyway. This version differs again in the telling of the third time Rumpelstiltskin spins gold for the girl in that the girl tells him how much she's like to marry the king, which makes her a bit vapid in that the king still had threatened her with death and she seems untroubled by that. Also Rumpelstiltskin daydreams briefly here about how 'great of a dad he'd be someday' and in the thought bubble illustrated above his head it shows Rumpelstiltskin taking his son fishing and patting him on the head in a 'good boy' kind of way. Finally, when Rumpelstiltskin is told his own name by the now Queen he laments this turn of events, he does put his foot thru the floor but he also says "What a bummer! What about the toys I bought, the nursery I painted?" He had intended on being a dutiful father and was denied his chance by this queen of questionable judgement. And the worst part...now everyone knows and calls him by his real name instead of AL. In the end the lesson Rumpelstiltskin learned and imparts to the audience is, "Get paid right away, and only take cash". This version of the old tale is more redeeming, better illustrated, funnier, and lacks completely the father and the King who are the villains in the original. Additionally, it has thinking extensions for young readers linked to Common Core that ask the reader to think about key ideas, details, craft and structure. I realize it's a bit unfair to compare such an old fairy tale to it's new version, but since the old version lacked a moral and any redeeming characters I will say that this version is superior.
October 31, 2023
Frankly, I’d Rather Spin Myself a New Name! The Story of Rumpelstiltskin Told by Rumpelstiltskin by Jessica S. Gunderson and illustrated by Janna Bock was a very engaging version of Rumpelstiltskin. I found this story in the library and read it for a graduate course assignment on traditional literature. In the beginning of the story, he explains that he does not like the name he was born with and asked his family to call him “Al” instead. Then, Rumpelstiltskin goes on to tell a similar plot to the original story. Once he is promised the maiden’s firstborn child, Rumpelstiltskin goes on to travel the world and is looking forward to being a father one day. He returns to find that the maiden became queen and had a baby. He visits her and she refuses to give him the child. In the end, Rumpelstiltskin is very upset that the queen guessed his name because he had already prepared to be a father. Rumpelstiltskin tells the lessons he learns about getting paid in cash and is upset that everyone has begun calling him by his real name instead of “Al”. This version reminded me of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs because it was written from the perspective of Rumpelstiltskin himself. This made for a very engaging story because his version makes Rumpelstiltskin seem like an innocent person who does not like his name and was trying to help a maiden and earn some money.
The illustrations in the book spread across the pages and are very engaging with bright colors. There are even more modern-looking characters and objects illustrated throughout the story, such as the newspaper that Rumpelstiltskin reads. These illustrations certainly help readers understand the perspective of Rumpelstiltskin, which is one of the goals of the book. Although it is different from the original story, there are elements of tradition throughout the book. These include the main plot, the characters, and the setting on castle grounds.
I would recommend using this book as a read aloud in a 2nd-5th grade classroom. Students in 3rd-5th grade could also use this book to compare and contrast with the traditional story. Students could compare and contrast themes, characters, setting, plot, and perspective.
The illustrations in the book spread across the pages and are very engaging with bright colors. There are even more modern-looking characters and objects illustrated throughout the story, such as the newspaper that Rumpelstiltskin reads. These illustrations certainly help readers understand the perspective of Rumpelstiltskin, which is one of the goals of the book. Although it is different from the original story, there are elements of tradition throughout the book. These include the main plot, the characters, and the setting on castle grounds.
I would recommend using this book as a read aloud in a 2nd-5th grade classroom. Students in 3rd-5th grade could also use this book to compare and contrast with the traditional story. Students could compare and contrast themes, characters, setting, plot, and perspective.
April 29, 2018
I loved the idea, and the beginning was good (and there were black random townspeople in the background which was cool!), but once it got to the more established part of the story I felt like the creative side almost vanished and the story ended before it started. I could have used this as more of a 40 something page book like a lot of other children's books I've read have been.
Also, the Common Core questions at the back really irked me. Like, fine, have a curriculum out there if you want this taught in classes. But if I kid just picks this up at the library...that just ruins the magic. Teach a child how to think critically with the story, not just with discussion questions.
Ultimately, I was very disappointed, this looked so cute but there was little substance.
Also, the Common Core questions at the back really irked me. Like, fine, have a curriculum out there if you want this taught in classes. But if I kid just picks this up at the library...that just ruins the magic. Teach a child how to think critically with the story, not just with discussion questions.
Ultimately, I was very disappointed, this looked so cute but there was little substance.
September 18, 2017
A cute story. Great for elementary school readers. Good resources in the back for further reading and for teachers to connect to Common Core concepts. Overall, a fun reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin!
April 21, 2019
Genre: fiction/ traditional literature
Grade: K-2nd
So, so cute! This story is in the perspective of Rumpelstiltskin, and it is funny. The moral of the story of getting paid right away and only accepting cash is not a bad lesson to learn?
Grade: K-2nd
So, so cute! This story is in the perspective of Rumpelstiltskin, and it is funny. The moral of the story of getting paid right away and only accepting cash is not a bad lesson to learn?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2021
Frankly, I'd Rather Spin Myself a New Name!: The Story of Rumpelstiltskin as Told by Rumpelstiltskin (The Other Side of the Story) by Jessica Gunderson -- This is on kindle unlimited. This one was funny! Happy Reading!
December 8, 2021
Although this book is definitely for a younger crowd, it was a fun spin-off tale to revisit. I loved the original story growing up and it was fun to imagine the story from rumpelstilskins side. Especially because he was seen as such a negative character it is fun to see him from another side.
February 11, 2024
I enjoyed this!
I enjoyed this! It is a good way to teach kids about points of view and how they differ. It also teaches them to always hear both sides of the story before judging people.
I enjoyed this! It is a good way to teach kids about points of view and how they differ. It also teaches them to always hear both sides of the story before judging people.
September 10, 2024
This is kind of a modern, clever twist on Rumpelstiltskin, but still has typical illustrations (made with computers?). I don't think this is the version I would like to share with my 2nd Graders ("and thought about what a great dad I'd be someday").
April 1, 2019
Very cute twist on the classic fairy tale, told from Rumpelstiltskin's point of view.
March 11, 2020
this was one of my nicknames as a kid ... great read. love the illustrations. so fun!! check these reads out. great series.
September 20, 2020
This one wasm't quite as great as some of the others. The story didn't make me laugh and I was glad it was short.
March 9, 2021
I am a huge fan of "The Other Side of the Story" books. This one made me laugh out loud as I read it to my elementary class.
April 23, 2021
After reading this story it reminded me it is always important to hear two sides of a story before making an opinion. There can be factors left out from one perspective that get told from another.
January 17, 2022
A fun twisted fairy tale for young readers. Poor Rumplestiltskin! This has critical thinking questions at the end as well.
November 15, 2022
I rather enjoyed this quirky defense from the notorious dwarf.
February 13, 2024
A version of Rumpelstiltskin from the point of view of Rumpelstiltskin.
May 2, 2024
it is another story of "Rumpelstiltskin" and it is about him himself who can spin straw out of gold and you will love it
March 20, 2017
We launched three weeks of story times built on themes from the well-known fairy tale with this new interpretation, which I might add was very fun. We have two story performers so one took the part of Rumpel and the other took the part of the fair maiden.
July 9, 2024
This book is a twist on the traditional version of Rumpelstiltskin, because it's told from Rumpelstiltskin’s perspective. I know a lot of people feel bad for the maiden who has to spin straw into gold and can’t do it, but I have always felt a little sorry for Rumpelstiltskin, so hearing his take on the tale made me feel justified. As he tells the story, he makes lots of side comments to the reader. These cracked us up as we read.
I loved this book! The illustrations are bright and colorful. Looking at the character's expressions was our favorite part! Both the maiden and Rumpelstiltskin make some faces that had us is hysterics. There are lots of books in this series- so I look forward to reading more of them. Not only are they entertaining, but they help us remember that there are two sides to every story.
*My students love this series and this book makes them laugh. Great for looking at perspective and two sides of a story.
I loved this book! The illustrations are bright and colorful. Looking at the character's expressions was our favorite part! Both the maiden and Rumpelstiltskin make some faces that had us is hysterics. There are lots of books in this series- so I look forward to reading more of them. Not only are they entertaining, but they help us remember that there are two sides to every story.
*My students love this series and this book makes them laugh. Great for looking at perspective and two sides of a story.
October 11, 2020
The Fairy Tales with a Twist books are all interesting takes from the other side, for example Cinderella as told by the "Wicked" Step-mother. All of the ones I have read have been good (4 - 4.5 range).
August 30, 2016
I was impressed with how the author handled the traditional ending of this fairy tale. I enjoyed reading the tale from Rumpelstiltskin's point of view.
Read
October 30, 2016clever and funny
November 27, 2017
Age: Elementary
Genre: Fairy tale
What a fun story about Rumpelstiltskin. It was written from his point of view. I think it would be fun to read the real version of Rumpelstiltskin and then read this version and compare and contrast the two. This would be good to add to any fairy tale unit as well. The illustrations were really good too.
Genre: Fairy tale
What a fun story about Rumpelstiltskin. It was written from his point of view. I think it would be fun to read the real version of Rumpelstiltskin and then read this version and compare and contrast the two. This would be good to add to any fairy tale unit as well. The illustrations were really good too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews