Rebecca Hickox

The daughter of a widowed fisherman, Maha was lonely for a mother's love, and convinced her father to marry their neighbor. Unfortunately for her, her new stepmother was resentful and unkind, and the young girl was made to do all the work, while her stepsister lazed around. After sparing the talking red fish she finds one day, Maha gains a magical ally who helps her throughout her childhood and adolescence. When denied the chance to attend the henna party of a wealthy merchant's daughter, show more Maha appeals to the fish, and is given enchanted clothing to wear. Returning home at the end of the evening, she loses one of her golden sandals, and it is found by the merchant's son, who is so struck by its dainty beauty, that he decides he must marry its owner...

Adapted from the Iraqi tale of The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold, to be found in Inea Bushnaq's 1986 Arab Folktales, this Middle Eastern Cinderella story has many of the elements associated with this tale type, from the unkind stepmother and lazy stepsister, to the magical protector/guide. There is even a party to which the Cinderella figure wishes to go, although here it is a women's only party, rather than the ball of the western tradition. The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story is the second folkloric picture-book I have read from author Rebecca Hickox, following upon her Zorro and Quwi: Tales of a Trickster Guinea Pig, and I enjoyed the narrative, appreciating the mixture of familiar and unfamiliar elements. The accompanying artwork from illustrator Will Hillenbrand, created on velum in a variety of media (he discusses his method in a note at the read), was likewise appealing. The only thing I would criticize is the author's claim, in her afterword, that the Chinese variant of this tale type is the oldest recorded version. This is in fact untrue, as the ancient Egyptian version - see Shirley Climo's The Egyptian Cinderella for a retelling - is the oldest known version. Leaving that aside, this is one I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone seeking Cinderella variants from around the world. show less

In this retelling of a Peruvian folktale, Zorro the fox chases after Quwi the guinea pig, only to be outwitted at every turn. An engaging trickster tale for young readers, this story presents a charming inversion of the usual animal-fable motif of the clever fox. As Hickox informs the reader in her afterword, the mouse, rabbit and guinea pig can all function as a trickster in the Peruvian Quechua tradition, which leaves the fox to play the gullible fool.

Although I cannot say that Kim show more Howard’s colorful artwork here is a personal favorite – I found it a little blurry and indistinct at times – I did enjoy the story of Zorro and Quwi, and finished it with a desire to know more about this cavy trickster. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone with an appreciation for guinea pigs and their finer qualities! show less

Like many other versions of Cinderella, this story follows the same plot of a poor girl that is worked by a step mother and wants to go to the ball. She loses her shoe and a man searches for her to be married. Though the story followed a similar pattern, the elements were unique to the middle eastern culture. Maha, the protagonist, saved a red fish from being eaten and in return, the fish granted her wishes. She went to a henna ceremony (instead of a ball) where she lost her golden sandal show more (instead of a glass slipper). A man searches for her in hopes to marry her. He makes every girl try on the slipper until he finds his Cinderella, Maha. What was different about this version but is similar to the Grim's Brothers' version is that the story gets revenge on the antagonist. The step mother's daughter is asked to be married and she tries to use the same magic potion they used on Maha but instead of making her hair full and beautiful like Maha's, the step;-sister suffers from extreme hair loss and excessive blisters. This is a good version of the rags to riches tale. show less

This Iraqi Cinderella tale will be familiar to American children, yet sufficiently different to keep their interest. It is a multi-cultural fable that introduces a slice of middle-eastern culture. Instead of wishing for an invitation to a prince's ball, Maha longs to attend a bride's henna. When the magic red fish supplies her with the accoutrements necessary to attend, she washes herself in the river before donning her new garments, obviously a ritual of preparation for an important event. show more In another cultural twist, it is the mother that searches out Maha, as she is the arranger of the family's marriages.

The illustrations by Will Hillenbrand are done in a complex process using vellum, bristol board, oils, oil pastel, egg tempera, watercolor, artist crayons and woodless pencils. The detailed "Illustrator's Note" on the last page explains the process. The result is illustrations in muted tones that suggest an age-old fairy tale, but are sufficiently colorful to suggest majesty and exoticness. Many of the illustrations are two page spreads. The hennaed bride at the merchant's house meeting a noble, yet simply dressed Maha underscores the cultural difference between The Golden Sandal and Cinderella. The illustrations follow the story line and offer additional bits of information. It is through the illustrations that we learn of the stepsister's clumsiness and see evidence of her mean-spiritedness. There is welcome humor and revenge in the story and illustrations as well, as the stepmother's revengeful plan backfires, and the stepdaughter is left with a bald head full of blisters - humorously illustrated by Hillenbrand.

This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to Middle-Eastern culture in a way that is at once familiar and exotic.
Connections:
This Iraqi fairy tale is a wonderful way to gently remind children that there is more in Iraq than war. There are children - children whose parents read them bedtime stories, much the same type of stories as we read here in the United States. For older children, a great companion read would be The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter. show less