Joe Cinders [Hardcover]

Marianne Mitchell (Author), Bryan Langdo (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

A southwestern Cinderella story with a twist.

"Way out West, where dreams come true, lived a poor cowboy named Joe Cinders."

Joe does all the chores while his mean stepbrothers, Buck, Bart, and Butch Bronco, spend their days counting buzzards in the sky. When pretty Miss Rosalinda invites them to her fall fiesta, the Bronco boys are determined that one of them will sashay her up to the preacher.

Poor Joe is left at home to watch the cattle. Suddenly a mysterious fella in baggy overalls appears, and with a few waves of his crooked stick Joe is ready to knock Miss Rosalinda off her feet--if the escaped prize bull doesn't do it first. This hilarious southwestern Cinderella story will make every reader wish for a fairy godfella.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Another retelling of a traditional fairy tale, dressed up in Western clothes, and with a sex change. Joe Cinders is a picked-on little ranch hand suffering under the tyranny of his lazy stepbrothers. An invitation to the fiesta at the big ranch arrives, but poor Joe is left out. His stepbrothers have heard that Miss Rosalinda is "scouting for a husband" and they think they've got the inside track. But they haven't reckoned on a mysterious stranger who magically produces nice new duds, a shiny red pickup truck, a pack of prairie dogs turned into cowboys for help, and a warning to be back by midnight. When the fireworks start, Joe skedaddles, leaving one of his red boots behind. A few days later, Miss Rosalinda comes looking for its owner, and you know the rest. Langdo's watercolor cartoons are light and cheerful, showing the sad, overworked, but ultimately triumphant boy and his bullying brothers set against a Western landscape. Younger readers familiar with the traditional form of the story will enjoy noting the similarities and differences.
Ruth Semrau, Upshur County Public Library, Gilmer, TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. This Wild West version of the Cinderella story, with cowpoke Joe and three ornery stepbrothers in starring roles, is a hoot. Joe Cinders moves in with the ugly Bronco brothers after his parents are swept away in a gully washer. The brothers spend their days counting buzzards while poor Joe does the work. Joe is miserable (underscored by the flat desert colors used in the pictures and the bare, barbed-wire landscapes) until the Broncos are invited to wealthy Miss Rosalinda's fall fiesta. On party night, as Joe sits dejectedly on his swayback horse, a comet swirls into view, delivering Joe's fairy godsomething, a fat little guy in a sombrero and serape who jolts Joe into spanking-new jeans and transforms his horse into a shiny, red pickup. Of course, Joe has to vamoose when the fireworks start at midnight, but he leaves behind a cowboy boot. How Miss Rosalinda and Joe get together and how the Broncos fare after that make for a clever, satisfying ending. An effective, thorough makeover with plenty of hearty laughs. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805065296
• ISBN-13: 978-0805065299
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yahoo!, February 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Joe Cinders (Hardcover)

This is a great retelling of the classic Cinderella story. It has some really funny cowboy type humor, yet keeps that fairy tale feel throughout. The pictures are filled with many little details that I missed the first time through. This is one book you'll want to read again and again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bet your cowboy boots on this one!, March 22, 2003

By 

E. S. Will "a new leaf" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Joe Cinders (Hardcover)

A newfangled, wrangler Cinderella? You bet your boots! Cowboy boots, that is.

Joe Cinders three lazy stepbrothers, Butch, Buck and Bart Bronco, spend their days counting buzzards in the sky while poor Joe, an orphan, does all the chores. When pretty Miss Rosalinda invites them to a fall fiesta at her ranch, the three brothers decide to go.

That night, as raggedy Joe is out watching the herd, a man with baggy old overalls, a wool serape, and a crooked stick in his hand appears out of the darkness amid sparks swirling like dust devils. He provides Joe with some fancy new duds, a four-wheeled bronco and instructions to leave when the midnight fireworks begin. And, well, we all know the rest (Substitute red cowboy boot for glass slipper.)

This books charm lies in the authors clever use of Westernisms and its light-hearted illustrations.

5.0 out of 5 stars KA ZAMM! This is the one!, April 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Joe Cinders (Hardcover)

I am a kindergarten teacher that has a passion for Cinderella stories and my students and I agree this is one of our favorites! It has the traditional theme with a 'Western' touch. You will want to share it with others and have one copy for library! GREAT READ!