Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis Celebrate ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ Debut at The Rabbit hOle

When Mac Barnett initially asked Carson Ellis if she would illustrate one of a series of fairy tale books he was planning, her answer was simple. No.

“Why would we retell a fairy tale? I didn't really understand,” Ellis said. “And then I was in the library at my kid's school reading to another kid, and we were reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff [written by Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen], and it was so funny… That was a story that I had heard a million times, but I had not heard it or seen it this way or experienced it this way.”

Ellis immediately reached back out to Barnett, and of the two fairy tale manuscripts he presented, she chose Rumpelstiltskin.

“It's a story about a girl who is wronged by everybody,” Ellis said. “But she manages to triumph in the end in a way that I think makes it a really satisfying story.”

On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, the same day Rumpelstiltskin hit bookstore shelves nationwide, The Rabbit hOle hosted Barnett and Ellis for two events – one for area schools and one for adults.

Barnett is the ninth National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature. His platform, Behold, The Picture Book! Let’s Celebrate Stories We Can Feel, Hear, and See, explores the picture book as an essential but often overlooked art form.

“I love fairy tales,” Barnett said. “And I think what was especially exciting about this, was thinking very carefully about how to tell fairy tale stories as picture books.”

Most fairy tales were shared out loud long before they were written down. In his research and reading many versions of fairy tales, Barnett notes that early published versions had little to no illustrations, and many modern retellings have single page illustrations next to a long block of prose.

“You don't have those fluid dynamics between text and image that make a picture book sing,” Barnett said. “And so I am always looking for those opportunities to think about how we can create a very vivid or unforgettable moment.”

Judging by the reactions of the 2nd-4th graders who attended Ellis and Barnett’s presentation, they were successful.

At the end of the event, students were asked to identify their favorite part of Rumpelstiltskin. 

The majority of the 100 students quickly grabbed their books – each attendee got a signed copy to take home – and flipped to one of the last pages.

The striking, double page spread shows a close-up of Rumpelstiltskin with steam coming out of his ears just after the queen has correctly guessed his name.

“Both of us from the start knew, not only does it have to be on a page turn, but the only thing on this page, on this crucial moment, the only text is Rumpelstiltskin,” Barnett said. 

“And that's like solving those puzzles – how do we use the picture book to bring out the drama of these narrative moments that are already in there, that are in there because they are such absolute killer ideas that have been honed over centuries of this story being told over and over again.”