Rapunzel

A Girl in a Tower

Once upon a time, a baby girl named Rapunzel was taken by a witch and raised as her own. Rapunzel grew into a gentle, golden-haired girl, and her hair grew long — longer than anyone had ever seen.

When Rapunzel was twelve, the witch shut her away in a tall stone tower deep in the forest. The tower had no door and no stairs. There was only one small window, far, far up at the very top.

Rapunzel was lonely, but she did her best to stay cheerful. She watched the birds, she tended a tiny pot of flowers on the windowsill, and she sang the loveliest songs to keep her spirits high.

Whenever the witch wished to visit, she stood at the bottom of the tower and called out:

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Then Rapunzel would wind her long golden braid around a hook and let it tumble down, down, all the way to the ground. The witch would climb up by it to reach the window. It was the only way in or out.

A Voice in the Forest

Each day, Rapunzel sang at her window, and her sweet voice drifted out over the treetops.

One afternoon, a young prince was riding through the forest when he heard her song. It was so beautiful that he stopped to listen, his heart filled with wonder. He searched until he found the tall tower — but there was no door, and the window was far too high.

Day after day the prince returned just to hear the singing. Then one evening, hidden among the trees, he saw the witch arrive and heard her call:

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

The prince watched the golden braid fall and the witch climb up. So that is how it is done, he thought.

A New Friend

The next day, when the witch had gone, the prince stood at the foot of the tower and called out, just as the witch had done:

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Down came the long golden braid, and up climbed the prince. When Rapunzel saw a stranger at her window, she was startled — for she had never met anyone but the witch.

"Please do not be afraid," said the prince kindly. "I heard your song from far away. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard."

Rapunzel saw that he was gentle and good, and soon they were talking like old friends. The prince visited again and again, and Rapunzel was no longer lonely. He told her of the wide world beyond the forest — of rivers and cities and rolling green hills. Rapunzel began to dream of seeing it all.

"I should so love to leave this tower," she sighed.

"Then let us find a way," said the prince. "Each time I visit, bring me a strand of silk, and we shall weave a ladder strong enough to carry you down."

Reaching for Freedom

Little by little, Rapunzel wove the silk into a long, strong ladder, hiding it carefully so the witch would not see.

But one day, Rapunzel forgot herself and let slip a clue. The witch flew into a terrible rage when she discovered the secret. In her anger she cut off Rapunzel's long braid and sent her far away, to live alone in the wild lands at the edge of the forest.

That evening, the prince came and called for Rapunzel to let down her hair. But it was the witch who let the cut braid fall! When the prince climbed up and found the angry witch instead, he tumbled back down and wandered the forest, searching everywhere for Rapunzel.

For many long months he searched, never giving up hope. And Rapunzel, brave and patient, never gave up hope either. She found shelter, grew strong, and waited for the day she would be free.

Together at Last

At last, on a quiet morning, the prince heard a familiar song drifting across a sunny meadow. He followed it — and there was Rapunzel!

They ran to each other, overjoyed. Their courage and their love had carried them through all the lonely days.

The prince took Rapunzel to his peaceful kingdom, far from the dark tower. There she could walk in gardens, meet kind people, and see the wide world she had only ever dreamed of. She never forgot how hope had kept her strong.

And so, after all their trials, Rapunzel and the prince lived happily ever after.

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The moral: Hold on to hope, be brave enough to reach for freedom, and remember that love and kindness are stronger than any high wall.

Want more read-along tales? Try Cinderella or The Frog Prince next.