Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story) [Hardcover]

Barbara Ensor (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

I know, I know. You’ve heard the story a million times before. Mean stepmother. Lots of sweeping. Fancy ball. You remember.

Or do you?

Did you remember that Cinderella was such a nice girl—so smart and funny? You probably would’ve liked her. Did you know that “Cinderella” was just a nickname? And that her handsome prince loved Jell-o and was a wonderful dancer?

Readers will delight in following Cinderella through all the usual happenings, presented in a most unusual way. And they’ll finally see what becomes of her after she marries the prince. So maybe you should hear the story one last time. Because it’s actually way different than you might have thought. . . .

Kids who have outgrown picture books and are ready for something longer—but still love illustrated texts—will gravitate toward this Cinderella. Black-and-white silhouettes of everything from the ugly stepsisters to Cinderella’s slipper (actual size) are intermingled with Cinderella’s letters to her recently deceased mother in this totally original package, written and illustrated by an exciting newcomer to children’s books.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–This lightweight retelling of the classic fairy tale will please girls who like undemanding and familiar stories with a twist. In this version, Cinderella writes letters to her dead mama complaining about her evil stepmother and attractive but mean-spirited older stepsisters. She spends her days cleaning, cooking, sewing, and generally feeling miserable and put-upon even though she tries to be nice and accommodating. Readers know how it all ends, and Ensor recounts it dutifully, but adds what happens after the curtain traditionally falls on the story. The two work hard on their marriage, since they barely know one another, and eventually the prince becomes a king and a singer while Cinderella finds the other side of herself–as a talented diplomat fully capable of improving their country and the world all around them. Black-and-white silhouettes are positioned throughout the text but don't add much to the story.–Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY
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About the Author

Barbara Ensor has written for New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Family Life, The Village Voice, and numerous other publications and Web sites. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Harpers, Self, Child and elsewhere. This is her first children’s book. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375836209
• ISBN-13: 978-0375836206
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #465,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Ensor isn't looking at you in this photograph because she wouldn't actually be able to see you anyway and this way you can see what her silhouette looks like. (Since after all she is always making silhouettes of other things.) Barbara Ensor did many daring things in her life, like walk on stilts, but she never dared to write a children's book until she was fifty years old. After that she knew she wanted to write many more books for children (and maybe adults as well) and to make the pictures to go with them so she had better hurry up. Press the button on her website, BarbaraEnsor.com and tell her to write another book right away.

To prepare for being an author and artist Barbara Ensor did many many things. She listened carefully to the stories her mother and father told her. In due course she began to tell her own stories (not all of them true) as a mother, as a puppeteer, an illustrator, a clay animation teacher, and a journalist. Barbara Ensor grew up mostly in London England where she figured out how to make pictures with whatever was around. Her two children, who are now taller than her, taught her most of what is most important to know. Barbara Ensor lives in Brooklyn, New York where an awful lot of people turn into authors and artists for reasons nobody knows for sure.

Barbara Ensor doesn't believe in fairy tales, but she lives happily ever after, and hopes you do too.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, July 9, 2006

By 

Camille "at the BookMoot!" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story) (Hardcover)

This retelling of the Cinderella story offers the reader the traditional story, though slightly updated. Cinderella shares her worries and concerns about her life in letters to her deceased mother. Her father has remarried (but does not die) and her new stepmother and stepsisters are just as unpleasant as in the traditional story. Cinderella's letters to her mother are heartfelt with amusing edits so we know what she is really thinking. The silhouette cutout illustrations added a touch of whimsey and quirkiness to the story that I enjoyed.

The book was a pleasant read and offers young people the comfort of an enjoyable, familiar and very readable story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars original retelling of a beloved classic, June 23, 2006

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story) (Hardcover)

"Cinderella" is one of the most popular of fairy stories. It has been not only translated into about every language, it has also been modified for our diverse cultures and times. Barbara Ensor's CINDERELLA is a fun little version that is decidedly for contemporary readers. In this version Cinderella tells her story through a series of letters to her dead mother. The letters are sweet, poignant and often funny as she unburdens her heart. When she writes the letter telling of her father's remarriage, she ends with:

P.P.S. Don't worry about writing back, I don't expect miracles or anything. (We don't believe in them,) or do we?

Of course, this is a story that abounds with miracles. There are fairy godmothers, magic slippers, pumpkins turning into carriages, and all the usual magic of the traditional fairy tale. With several clever twists, however, Cinderella falls in love with a prince who is terribly spoiled and is put out when his parents aren't as concerned about finding the girl who fits the shoe and instead choose to go on a golf outing. The stepsisters are as conceited as ever, but not really as ugly as we have been led to believe:

The truth is, they were nice enough to look at, maybe not as pretty as you or Cinderella, but certainly not ugly. All right, some of what they said was ugly, yes, I agree...

So this is the book that lets us know what actually happens to everyone. Did they really just live "happily ever after?" There are some surprises here. The nasty stepsisters have to move out so Cinderella and the prince can provide a sanctuary for wild animals. Cinderella's father and stepmother are given royal dispensation and allowed to stay in the castle (provided the stepmother works double shifts on the cleaning staff). Most importantly, Cinderella and the prince learn a great deal about each other: "As the love between them grew, they began to trust themselves, even the dark scary places." No one pushes little Cinderella around anymore. So finally there is peace in the kingdom as Cinderella insists that big bombs just don't interest her in the least.

The artwork is made up of creatively rendered silhouette cutouts. Cinderella's letters to her mother are handwritten, smudged with ink and scratched out words. This book could easily translate into an animated Shrek-like film that would delight people of all ages. Don't miss this very original retelling of a beloved classic.

--- Reviewed by Sally Tibbetts ([e-mail])

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book in the world - really!, June 20, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story) (Hardcover)

The book expresses all of Cinderella's feelings, unlike the Disney version. When Cinderella writes a note it's sort of sloppy handwriting - but at the end it's elegant and beautiful. If I could, since it is summer vacation right now, I would tell all of my friends that it is the best book in the world.

By Helena