Cinderella

Three-time Caldecott medalist and six-time Caldecott honoree Marcia Brown retells that most famous of fairy-tales in this lovely picture book from 1954. A loose translation of Charles Perrault's original French story, in which a beautiful and good young maiden named Cinderella is aided by her fairy godmother in attending the prince's ball and in winning her heart's desire, is paired with Brown's own artwork, and the result is a delight, both from a narrative and artistic standpoint...

It is not difficult to see why Brown's Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1955. Her artwork here is lovely, capturing the magic of the story and the changing emotions of the titular heroine, while making use of a show more beautiful array of colors, and featuring elegantly stylized figures. I don't know how faithful the conclusion is to the Perrault original, having not read that in some time, but I also greatly appreciated the fact that Cinderella forgives her stepsisters, and sees that they are provided for. I've nothing to say against versions in which the stepsisters are punished, but it's also nice to see one that shows the heroine staying true to her kind nature. Recommended to young fairy and folktale lovers, and to any picture book readers who enjoy Cinderella retellings. My favorite in this vein will always be the version done by Evelyn Andreas and Ruth Ives (the standard of my childhood), but this is another that I hold in high regard. show less

This is a new translation / adaptation of Charles Perrault’s famous story, with wonderful illustrations by Marcia Brown (for which she was awarded the Caldecott Medal).

What I really like about this version of the story is the way that Cinderella is portrayed as a very kind young woman, but clearly not a doormat. She speaks up for herself when it counts. Her stepsisters are never referred to as “ugly” either; rather they are selfish, self-absorbed, and rather hateful towards Cinderella. They are as blind to her virtues as they are to their own faults.

The translation also differs from original versions of the story in the way it ends – for the stepsisters. Cinderella, in her goodness, arranges good marriages for them to two lords show more in the Prince’s Court.

I was fascinated by the technique of Brown’s illustrations. She uses a few pen strokes to suggest a gown, for example, and then a wash of color to complete the image. This lends a rather ethereal, fairy-tale feeling to the drawings; very effective. show less

This book, written and illustrated by Marcia Brown, is a classic version of the Cinderella fairytale. The story is about a kindhearted girl who is ridiculed and oppressed by her new stepmother and stepsisters. Despite their efforts to keep Cinderella from attending the prince's ball, her fairy godmother appears and makes it possible for Cinderella to go. At the stroke of midnight, Cinderella flees the ball - leaving behind a glass slipper. The prince, who fell in love with Cinderella, finds her shoe and begins a search for the girl whose foot it fits. Finally Cinderella is found and she is married to the prince, very much to the surprise of her family.
One of the reasons I like this version is because of the writing style Brown uses. show more The language and word choice is quite different than what might be seen in today's writing and may be difficult for young readers, therefore I would recommend this book for a slightly older age group. But because of the accelerated vocabulary, I think it would open the doors for some good teaching opportunities. When we come to a difficult word while reading this out loud in class, I could ask students what they think the word might mean based on the story and the surrounding text. We could also discuss other words the author might have chosen that mean the same thing. I really enjoyed the illustrations as well. Despite being old-fashioned, I think the pictures add to the whimsical, light-hearted nature of the story.
Something I noticed about this story as an adult that I didn't pick up on as a child, however, was that whenever Cinderella was noticed by the prince and others, she was adorned in the beautiful garments given to her by the fairy godmother. This seems to send the message that in order to be recognized, one must have certain things or look a certain way. I think this would be an important thing to discuss with students, and it could be related to today's culture and societal expectations. show less

In my opinion I really enjoyed this classic story about Cinderella. I like this book because of its illustrations. The illustrations depict a lot of the characters emotions throughout the story. For example, the illustration of Cinderella hiding in chimney corner clearly shows the reader the emotions Cinderella must be feeling. I could feel the pain and sadness she was going through. Next, I like the book because of the plot. I enjoy the fact that this story had all of the elements of a traditional fantasy. For example, Cinderella ends up becoming the princess at the end of the book and marries the prince. She has two evil step sisters that make Cinderella go through obstacles. The fairy godmother comes into play in the story and helps show more Cinderella. Lastly, Cinderella lives happily ever after. These are many elements of a traditional fantasy, and are highlighted throughout the book. I liked the book because it pushes the readers to think about the other Cinderella story that they read while growing up. In this Cinderella twist, she accepts and forgives her step-sisters at the end, and they also find their own princes. I think the forgiveness that Cinderella did pushes the reader to think about how they might have to forgive others although it could be hard. The main point of this story is even though you might be going through hard times, but good times are sure to come. show less

Cinderella is one of my favorite fairy tales because of how life like it can be. This version of Cinderella follows very true to the tale many of us have heard today. The characters Cinderella and her mean step sisters are something that you might see today because many families have instances where a sibling does not get along with their step sisters because they are mean, just like in Cinderella. The language in this book reflects older times, which aids in the authenticity of the fairy tale. This may be harder for younger readers to understand though since they do not have knowledge on phrases like “Suddenly Cinderella heard the clock chime eleven hours and three quarters”. As always with this tale, the plot is very suspenseful show more with the reader constantly wondering if she will make it home before midnight so the prince does not have to see her in rags. Even though I have read and watched this story many times, I still find myself getting a little nervous when it is almost twelve o’clock. The only thing I did not like about this book was the illustrations. In many other Cinderella books I have seen, the pictures are very vibrant with Cinderella covered in glitter. In this book, I see no difference between Cinderella and her step sisters. In one of the illustrations, Cinderella’s step sister is wearing a peach colored dress, while the other is wearing yellow dress with peach colored trim. Cinderella is sitting next to them wearing a dress with both yellow and peach colors. Cinderella looks just like her sisters and the other people at the ball. The illustrator did not do a good job of depicting Cinderella to be different from everyone else. Although I do not like the illustrators, I still love this book. The big idea of Cinderella is that good triumphs over evil. The idea is that if you keep believing that your dreams will come true, regardless of how bad it gets, and you do your best to be happy and positive, your dreams will come true. Cinderella did not give up and because of that, she got what she wanted; a prince and for her sisters to treat her well. show less

I loved this adaption of Cinderella translated from French. It had more magic and whim than the Disney version! I liked the watercolor illustrations which showed emotion using colors and stroke marks. As I was reading, it felt like a flowing poem. “Cinderella reached home all out of breath, with neither coach nor footmen, and in rags. Nothing was left of her finery but one little slipper, the mate to the one she had lost.” The translation to English is beautiful and moving. I also enjoyed the happy ending. In a twist, Cinderella’s stepsisters apologize and then also find dashing princes. The big idea of this story is choose to be positive in the worst times because the best times are soon to come. Cinderella waited patiently and show more happily for her royal future while she scrubbed floors in her own home. show less

This has been rejected so often by princess-loving kiddos, I feel like I already have a sympathetic relationship with this book. Poor thing rarely gets read these days. It's too bad, too, because it's a great version of the fairytale - a good long read with plenty of detail and voice. The line drawn illustrations don't grab students, but on close examination they are expressive and done in a floaty style that suits the story. I'm filing this under "give it a chance" and will try it as a read aloud to see if I can get some of my Disney-obsessed girls to try it.