Customer Reviews

Cinderella

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I'll admit my first impulse was to say, "Not another Cinderella!" But then I read this new version by Max Eilenberg and said, "Oh. This is a goody!"

One of the things I like best about this version is that the language is (a) at an easier-to-read level than usual and (b) slightly contemporary. If you've read any of the typical picture book fairy tales that are beautifully illustrated (as opposed to the cheap commercial versions), you'll find that they're written at a third or fourth grade level, with rather fine print. They're pretty much intended to be read-alouds. In contrast, this Cinderella's wording is at about a low second grade level, and the font's a friendlier size, with fewer words on a page.

The story telling is also a lot of fun. For example, we learn that Cinderella's stepmother "was snobbish, mean, and foul-tempered. Ooh, she was horrid! And she was especially cruel to the girl, whose beauty made her own two daughters look positively hideous. The stepmother couldn't stand this." Then we get things like some terrific sound effects when the fairy godmother makes her magic: "Tap tap WHOOSH! There stood a magnificent golden carriage." When the rats and lizards are transformed, it's "KAPOUFF!" and "KAPAFF!"

Eilenberg also goes with a version of the story that includes a ball every night for three nights running, drawing out the suspense and allowing for three different sets of gowns and shoes. Illustrator Niamh Sharkey's art is upbeat and clever, but didn't entrance me quite as much as the text did.

Probably the nicest thing about the book is that Cinderella's father, who stays alive but is mostly no help to her, finally steps in and sticks up for her at the end of the book. Hooray!

I can honestly say that this is the perfect Cinderella for today's kids, especially those little girls in the everything-must-be-pink princess stage. But it's just rowdy enough to appeal to little tomboys, too!

Young listeners will love when you read this book out loud to them, complete with all the sound effects. The illustrations and the text are very sweet and non-scary, perfect for little listeners. There are THREE balls for Cinderella in this book, each with increasingly glamorous outfits, and on the last one, she loses the glass slipper.

In the end, the Dad steps in to stick up for his daughter. Yay!