Cendrillon is a Caribbean retelling of the traditional Cinderella. The interesting thing about this retelling is our main character is not Cendrillon, but her godmother. It is a story about family and culture, perseverance and, of course, true love. This would also be something fun to read in an English class to show the difference between fairy tales and other stories, but it could also be read in a Social Studies class to show Caribbean culture. The illustrations and actions within the book are great indicators of the clothing and style of this region, as well. ( )

Cendrillon suffers under the hand of her cruel stepmother in this Caribbean Cinderella story, set on Martinique. Narrated by Cendrillon's godmother, the narrative here describes how the eponymous young girl is dressed in tatters and made to work, when her lazy stepsister is given everything. When a ball is given for the handsome Paul, the son of the wealthy Monsieur Thibault, Cendrillon longs to attend, and her godmother makes it possible, through the use of the magic wand she inherited from her mother. But will one night of enchantment be enough? And will Cendrillon get what she truly wants - the sincere love of Paul, unaided by any magic...?

The second picture-book I have read from author Robert D. San Souci and illustrator Brian Pinkney, following upon their The Faithful Friend, which also contained a folktale from Martinique, Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella was adapted from a story in Turiault's 1874 Étude sur le langage créole de la Martinique. The author used a number of other sources to expand the story in an authentic way, including Patrick Chamoiseau's 1994 Creole Folktales, a collection I have read and greatly enjoyed. I found the story here engaging, and appreciated the fact that it was narrated by the fairy godmother - an unusual choice! I also found the scratchboard illustrations quite lovely. Recommended to young fairy-tale lovers, to readers seeking folktales from Martinique, and to those interested in Cinderella variants. ( )

A Caldecott Honor author/illustrator team brings us a Caribbean Cinderella story, told from the perspective of the magical godmother. Adapted from a traditional Creole story, this fresh retelling captures all the age-old romance and magic of Cinderella, melding it with the vivid beauty of the Caribbean and the musical language of the islands.

This book is a retelling of Cinderella set in the Caribbean. It is an engaging version of a classic story, but now all of the characters are creole. The story is full of creole words and even includes a glossary with definitions. The author and illustrator create a vivid world full of exotic foods, dress and specific cultural references. The story is at once familiar and new. I love the idea of exposing children to different cultures through familiar channels. ( )

Cendrillon is the French Creole version of Perrault's original Cinderella story. In my EDCI 3400 class, we had to create and deliver a QAR peer teaching lesson - I decided to take 4 versions of the Cinderella story and have students compare and contrast them. It was a huge hit and Cendrillon was my favorite - especially since it's told from the Godmother's point of view. ( )