Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Rapunzel: A Steve Light Storybox
Novelty
For ages 4 to 7
Guidecraft, 2012
If you spend any time watching young children playing with their toys, you will soon see how many of them make up stories, acting out their tales and using different voices for their characters.
Steve Light is a born storyteller, and he has created some beautiful Storyboxes that children and their grownups can use to explore classic fairy tales. So far he has created Storyboxes for Hansel and Gretel (a German fairy tale), Rapunzel (another German fairy tale), The girl who Loved Danger (an African story), and Little one Inch (a Japanese story.)
The Rapunzel Storybox is quite charming. The box itself is sturdy and nicely decorated, and when you slide back the lid you will discover that the box has a scene painted into the bottom, which serves as a backdrop for the story. There are three characters, three turnips, a pair of scissors, a ladder, and a tower, all of which are beautifully made of hand painted wood. There is also a long yellow yarn braid that serves as Rapunzel's long hair. The booklet that comes with the book contains the story of Rapunzel, which adults and children can use as they wish.
Finding ways to make storytelling engaging and exciting is something many teachers, storytellers, and parents try to do. This wonderful box will allow grownups and children to take their storytelling to a new level. You can see how Steve Light uses this box to tell the Rapunzel story on this YouTube video
