The Korean Cinderella [Hardcover]

Shirley Climo (Author), Ruth Heller (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following The Egyptian Cinderella , Climo and Heller conflate several Korean variants of Cinderella to offer up the story of Pear Blossom, a lovely girl who is sorely mistreated by her nasty stepmother and stepsister. Climo's engaging reworking lends familiar thematic elements an Asian twist: the evil stepmother saddles Pear Blossom with such impossible tasks as picking up scattered grains of rice and weeding an enormous rice paddy; the girl's magical helpers include a tokgabi , or goblin; she loses one straw sandal on the way to the village festival. At once comfortingly familiar and intriguingly exotic, the text is especially noteworthy for its instructive but unobtrusive incorporation of Korean words. Heller's illustrations, based on extensive research of Korean art, are filled with images of enchanted animals, traditional costumes and, of course, pear blossoms. Lavish geometric borders combine intense greens, oranges and purples; the spreads, while making use of Western perspectives, retain a busy, Asian sense of pattern. Endnotes by both author and illustrator amplify the cultural context. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Shirley Climo's love of folklore began in her childhood and has provided the background for many of her children's books, such as The Korean Cinderella, Magic & Mischief: Tales from Cornwall, A Treasury of Princesses: Princess Tales from Around the World, A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World, and Someone Saw a Spider: Spider Facts and Folktales, an NCTE Teacher's Choice and Library of Congress Best Children's Book that was originally inspired by her research for Cobweb Christmas. Mrs. Climo and her husband live in Los Altos, California.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (May 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006020432X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060204327
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Longer Cinderella, February 11, 2000

By 

Michael Carlson Kapper - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Korean Cinderella (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

This is one of the longest text versions of the Cinderella story I have ever come across. It is a wonderful telling of the tale, and works nicely to illustrate how this tale is part of many cultures the world over. I can't speak to the accuracy of the details of Korean culture, but the artwork is fascinating. Due to length of the story, however, I tend to wonder how well it would hold younger children's attention. It works well, though, for illustrating cultural difference to college students.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another Cinderella, May 1, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Korean Cinderella (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

There are as many as a half dozen versions of Cinderella in Korea. The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo is a combination of three Korean variations.

To honor her birth, a pear tree is planted and the newborn baby is named Pear. She is beautiful and loved by her elderly mother and father. When Pear's mother dies, her father remarries a woman with a daughter the same age as Pear. Beautiful Pear's stepmother is jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty and requires her to perform many impossible chores, while her own daughter, Peony watches.

With the help of magical creatures (frog, sparrow, and black oxen) Pear successfully completes each chore and is able to attend the festival. On the way to the festival she loses her shoe. The magistrate sees the beautiful Pear and calls out to her. Believing he is yelling at her, she runs away without her shoe. At the festival the magistrate looks for the girl without the shoe. And we can guess the end of the story.

The Korean Cinderella is recognizable and is a captivating variation of the American version. The paintings are colorful and lush. Children will love the story and thoroughly enjoy the illustrations. This is for children between the ages of five and nine.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story, August 3, 2006

By 

Anne-Marie Gilliland (Near D.C., USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Korean Cinderella (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this version of Cinderella, I also liked how Climo included a little behind the scenes of the folktale on the back pages. I'm not the biggest fan of the illustrations however, I liked the patterns that were worked onto the pages, but the faces of the characters were sort of weird and disturbing at times, I wasn't drawn into the Pear Blossom's beauty they way I would have liked to have been (as was described in Climo's words)