An Iraqi version of the Cinderella story. Known in Arabic as "The Red Fish and the Clog of Gold," this is the story of Maha, a fisherman's daughter, and her tribulations with her stepmother and stepsister. Maha finds a small red fish in a basket one day. Releasing it back into the water, she is told that no kindness goes unrewarded. The fish becomes her source of help whenever life becomes too difficult.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
What do you get when you take Cinderella's glass slipper and transport it to the Middle East? The Golden Sandal! Rebecca Hickox's delightful retelling of an Iraqi folktale "The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold" has all the makings of any good Cinderella story--the mean stepmother, the young oppressed girl, a big shindig, a kind, magical creature who helps the girl dress up for the event, an enamored young man, a lost-and-found shoe, and the promise of a happy ending. However, with the Arabian twist, the girl's name is Maha, the benevolent creature is a fish, the shindig is a "grand henna," and the shoe that ultimately saves Maha from a cruel fate is none other than a golden sandal.
Rebecca Hickox, author of Zorro and Quwi, Per and the Dala Horse and Matreshka, teams up with the well-loved illustrator Will Hillenbrand of The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Counting Crocodiles, and the award-winning Wicked Jack to create this fresh twist on a familiar tale--guaranteed to keep youngsters riveted until the satisfying ending when justice prevails! (Ages 4 to 8) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
PW called this Iraqi Cinderella tale "a visual treat from start to finish." Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A timely tale with an Iraqi version of the Cinderella story,
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story (Paperback)
"The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story" is based on the Iraqi folktale of "The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold" retold by Rebecca Hickox with illustrations by Will Hillenbrand. Cinderella in this case is a young girl named Maha. Her widowed father is a fisherman who has to be away from home often so Maha has been wishing for him to remarry the kindly neighbor lady who has a daughter of her own. Maha gets her wish, but in the great tradition of such characters her stepmother makes her do all the work and only lets her eat dried dates. Then one day Maha throws a red fish back into the water, sparing its life, and the wish tells her "call for me any time and ask what you will." So it is that the magic fish helps Maha prepare for the big event in town, the Grand Henna and shows her stepsister the penalty for trying to be mean to Maha. Then there is Tariq, the brother of a rich merchant, who finds the golden sandal and searchers for its owner. Obviously the attraction here is not only the unique variation on the familiar Cinderella theme but the fact that this is an Iraqi story, since "The Golden Sandal" clearly shows that there are some things American kids have in common with Iraqi kids even when a glass slipper becomes a golden sandal. Hillenbrand works in some nice Middle Eastern architecture into his art along with the strategic use of the color red. In the back of the book both the author and the illustrator explain how there research of this story informed the telling and the illustrating of the tale. If you like variations on the familiar Cinderella theme look out for Nina Jaffe's "The Way Meat Loves Salt: A Cinderella Tale from the Jewish Tradition," Ai-Ling Louie's "Yeh-shen, a Cinderella Tale from China," and Penny Pollock's "Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella," which are just a few of the many versions out there. "The Golden Sandal" is one of the better of these tales out there and it has the added virtue of being timely given world events.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
grade 3 book review,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story (Paperback)
The golden sandal by Rebecca Hickhox
Once there was a girl and her mom died when she was little, so there neigheior maired the dad. So then Maha goes and takes the fish and home. Then she lets one go then her mom gets mad at her. Then she gets clothes from the fish for a ball. Later she gets to sit by the wife because they think she is rich. The next day they find her shoe. Then the man goes to her house and she is locked up in a jailhouse and they hear screaming and they open the door and the sandal fits her. The theme of this story is Good versus Evil because her stepmother is being mean to her and she gets to marry the Prince and Good wins. The message of this book is `Don't judge a book by its cover', because they think she is ugly but she is not. The genre of this book is fantasy fiction because there is no such thing as a fairy godmother. The audience of this book is for people who are having problems with their families because Cindy has problems with her family. I like the setting in Iraq because it is usually suppose to be somewhere we don't know about. I love the fairy Godmother because it is suppose to be a fairy, but it is a fish. I love the trickery because the fairy Godfish told the little girl to take a gold coin out of his mouth and pretend she sold it. I love the characters because they don't live a normal life. I love the bad guys because they are really funny. I like the illustrations because they are really cool.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun twist!,
This review is from: The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story (Paperback)
This was a fun twist on the traditional Cinderella story we all know and love. Students and children will love comparing this story to a traditional story, or even another "Cinderella" type story. Instead of a fairy godmother in the story, there is a fish that acts the part to grant a wish! Instead of a glass slipper, there is a golden sandal. This book is fun and interesting to read.
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