Rapunzel Retold by Grades 2 and 3

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a princess named Rapunzel. When she was born a witch took her away and locked her in a tower with no door. The tower was dark and ugly.

The witch always said, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair." And she did. The witch would climb up her hair to give her bread and water.

She would only stay with her for a little while. Rapunzel was very lonely.

She made friends with the birds, who visited her each day. The birds taught her how to sing. She thought that she would be locked in the tower forever.

For fifteen years she did that for the witch. Then one day, a prince was riding by the castle and heard a beautiful voice coming from the tower.

The prince followed the voice. He saw the tower in the castle. He tried to get up the tower to see who was making that beautiful sound but he couldn't find a door. All at once he heard a grouchy voice. He hid in the bushes. He saw the witch climb up the hair. When the witch left he said, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair." Then he climbed up and started to plan Rapunzel’s escape because they had fallen in love.

So when the big day came the prince got caught by the witch. She tied him up and she turned herself into the prince. Then she climbed up Rapunzel’s hair. She cut Rapunzel’s hair then turned herself back into a witch and tells Rapunzel, "How dare you! You will never escape. You will never marry the prince. I will take away your beautiful singing voice." And she did. Then the witch climbed on her broom and used her magic to fly away.

The prince was still in the dungeon were the put him. There was a small window. The prince began to whistle to his horse. His horse heard him and came to investigate. The prince said "Horses go get my sword in the bushes." So his horse went and got the sword. The horse pushed the sword into the small window. The sword fell down standing in the corner.

The prince crawled to the sword and started to jump up and down. Suddenly the rope broke. The prince untied himself. Then he ran to the door and got out of the castle. Then he ran to the tower, but the witch came back just to make sure the prince wouldn’t escape.

The prince wasn’t scared. He stood up and fought. The prince said, "How dare you cut Rapunzel’s beautiful hair?" The witch said, "You won’t get away with this." "Prince, help me!" shouted Rapunzel.

Meanwhile, the birds saw the prince and the witch fighting.*7 The witch kicked the prince. The witch picked up the sword and about the time she was going to stab the prince the birds started to poke the witch.

Rapunzel threw her brush on the witch’s head.

The witch fainted. Rapunzel tied all of the hair the witch had forgotten to burn. Rapunzel tied her hair on her bed post, and climbed down. The witch was waking up when Rapunzel reached the bottom. The witch was awake. Two of the birds were still watching, so they came to help. They dropped a big rock on the witch’s head. Then she fainted for good.

Rapunzel and the prince got on the prince’s horse. They ran off to the prince’s castle. A few weeks later they got married and had one child.

They lived happily ever after.