Deborah Hopkinson

A fairy godmother comes along to "help" Cinderella but ends up smashing her prized pumpkin and turning her friend Fred into a boring horse for the evening. Will Cinderella ever get her fairy-tale ending?

Told from the point of view of a mouse, this was a fun twist on the well-known Cinderella tale. I do like that Cinderella takes a more active role in choosing her destiny, with the mouse wanting to give the fairy godmother a "one-star review" for botching things so badly. After the ball, show more Cinderella rejects being even discovered by the prince; much later she ultimately finds her own bliss in a female farmer who shares her life experiences and interests.

The illustrations fit the humorous tone of the story, and Zelinsky does an excellent job conveying motion in particular. The author's note spends a little time talking about the Cinderella story over the years and also discussing variety of pumpkins. I could see this title being particularly fun for kids who are learning about different folk and fairy tales, as they often like to compare and contrast the various versions. show less

In this beautiful love letter to her second-grade teacher - and to teachers in general - picture-book author Deborah Hopkinson spins a moving tale, one in which a little girl with lots of energy and not quite enough patience is gently and compassionately guided through the sometimes stormy learning process by a dedicated and understanding educator. Although not limitless, the teacher's patience is often evident, and so too is her sympathy for and identification with the little girl-narrator, show more who might have trouble sitting still, or learning to read at first, but who also possesses an inquiring mind and an infectious sense of enthusiasm for the world around her. In the end, the little girl grows up and justifies all of her teacher's care, choosing a vocation that is a tribute to her childhood mentor and friend...

I found A Letter To My Teacher an immensely poignant book - I actually found myself blinking away tears as I reached the final page, and discovered what the little girl intended to do with her life, as a grown-up - and think that it makes a wonderful tribute to educators, whose role in society is as crucial as it is (often) under-appreciated. That said, Hopkinson's narrative is also an engaging story in its own right, and her main character (autobiographical, one supposes) makes a believable and sympathetic heroine. The accompanying artwork by Nancy Carpenter, created in pen and ink, as well as digitally, is every bit as appealing as the story, capturing the little girl's varying emotions perfectly, and using color and contrast in astute ways. Highly recommended to anyone looking for picture-books featuring teachers and educators, or to those just looking for children's stories about feisty and lovable girls. show less

First sentence: Once upon a time, there was a small gray mouse who lived in a pumpkin patch. It was a quiet life--until the night a stranger appeared.

My thoughts, part one: I did not do my 'due diligence' with this one. The book I thought I was getting and actually wanted--a Cinderella retelling from the point of view of one of her mice. I was up for some novelty--the mouse's point of view. I guess I wasn't expecting every other single element to be changed up in this 'fractured' fairy show more tale. Some retellings remove the romance and make it pure silliness.

Premise/plot: Fred, the mouse, observes Cinderella's so-called magical night. It's nothing like the traditional tale (as you might imagine.) For one thing, Cinderella can't wait to get away from the whole affair. She did not have a magical evening with the Prince--far from it. She can't wait to go back home and get back to work. So the story does not end with a disappointed prince NOT finding Cinderella...it ends with the marriage of Cinderella and a female farmer--both love gardening and pumpkins.

My thoughts, part two: For better or worse, the book does not address her mistreatment by her stepmother or stepsisters. Not a word--that I could find. In this retelling is Cinderella not being forced into servitude? Is she not being bullied by her stepfamily? If she is being used 'as a servant,' or mistreated/bullied how is this resolved by the end? Why doesn't this come up? I mean Cinderella is usually all about escaping one's situation--miserable life--whether she escapes with or without the prince, she's usually depicted as having a bad home life since her dad died.

For better or worse, the book doesn't show Cinderella ever wanting to go to the ball in the first place. Are we to believe that the fairy godmother just showed up and forced Cinderella against her will to go? Maybe. Probably. If she doesn't want to go, is it because she's self-aware that she has no interest in the Prince OR any guy? But again, we're not told that she doesn't want to go. She doesn't seem cranky until after meeting the Prince and spending time with him. He seems infatuated with her, but it is not mutual.

Are we to assume that when she meets this lady farmer at the fair it is love at first sight? Probably. Apparently. I wasn't surprised that this classic fairy tale has to have a shift of some type--can't send the message that women need men to rescue them, or, that instant love exists. But apparently it's not bad to have insta love if it's same-sex? I don't know.

This lesbian retelling of Cinderella--we don't learn about Cinderella's romantic interest until the second to last page--wasn't my cup of tea personally. I just think there is not much characterization or depth. show less

Very sweet, and a nice fractured fairy tale version of Cinderella that tosses out the idea of finding a happily ever after based on one meeting and a few magic spells disguising "faults" in one of the partners. This Cinderella loves gardening and mice and has no problem making her own decisions, which may or (in this case) may definitely not include rude members of royalty focused on appearances over all else. Fred, the mouse, was a perfect narrator, inspiring actual anger in me when the show more fairy godmother was rude to him and went so far as to smack him. Now I want to grow a Fairy Tale Pumpkin of my own. show less