Prince Cinders (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Prince Cinders was not much of a prince..." (more)
Key Phrases: Prince Cinders

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Take a classic story, substitute a few key ingredients, season freely with silliness and imagination, dress it all up in jaunty illustrations, and what have you got? In the case of Cole's Prince Cinders, an outrageously funny romp of a picture book. Prince Cinders is a spotty, skinny fellow who envies his brothers' brawn and hairiness. Left behind to do the laundry while they zoom off to the Palace Disco, he is visited one evening by a fairy who seeks to grant his wishes. Trouble is, the fairy hasn't quite gotten the knack of spell-casting and "big and hairy" translates into an oversized ape. Blissfully unaware of the slip-up, Prince Cinders heads off in his new incarnation to the Rock 'n' Royal Bash to claim his princessa conventional end he achieves through most unconventional means. A madcap, highly entertaining spoof. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

"Cole's unique brand of wacky humor is given free rein in this merry romp . . ."--Publishers Weekly. "Kids, especially those six, seven, and eight, will think this is wildly funny; some adults may think so, too."--Booklist. Full-color illustrations. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (April 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698115546
• ISBN-13: 978-0698115545
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,066 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great twist on the Cinderella story, June 11, 2000

By	K. Bennett (Rolla, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Prince cinders (sandcastle) (Hardcover)

In this Cinderella story, Cinderella goes by the name of Prince Cinders. He looks like the "before" picture in an ad for a mail order body-building course, while his big and hairy older brothers look like the "after" picture. The older brothers party all night at the Palace Disco with their princess girlfriends, while Prince Cinders cleans up their beer cans, cigarette butts, and macho magazines.

One night, while Prince Cinders is doing a load of dirty socks, a fairy drops down the chimney. She tries to make all his wishes come true. She changes a crumpled beer can into a red sports car, a toy red sports car, that is. "That can't be right," the fairy muses. She gives him a new suit to wear to the Palace Disco -- a swim suit. Finally, she makes him big and hairy, like his brothers, sort of. Now he's a big hairy ape wearing a swimsuit!

The fairy is pretty sure the spell will wear off by midnight. In the meantime, Prince Cinders admires himself in the mirror -- he sees a dashing prince in an Armani suit -- and hops on (not in) the little red sports car to check out the Palace Disco. He's so big that he can't fit in the door. He wisely decides to take the bus home, and bumps into pretty Princess Lovelypenny. "Luckily, midnight struck and Prince Cinders changed back into himself. The princess thought he had saved her by frightening away the big hairy monkey. 'Wait!' she shouted, but Prince Cinders was too shy. He even lost his trousers in the rush!"

Soon all the princes in the land are standing around in their underwear, waiting for the chance to try on the trousers. Of course, these trousers only fit a scrawny guy like Prince Cinders. He tries them on; they fit, and Prince Cinders and Princess Lovelypenny are wed. The princess tells the fairy about the way Prince Cinders' older brothers used to treat him, and suddenly they are turned into house fairies, in charge of keeping the palace spic and span forever.

My four year old son loves this story, especially the illustration of Prince Cinders as the big hairy ape, peering through the window at the royalty dancing at the Palace Disco. My six year old daughter likes Princess Lovelypenny's leopard print outfit. Both my kids think being doomed to clean the palace forever is a fate worse than death, and from the expressions on the faces of the house fairies, Prince Cinders's brothers would probably agree.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming prince., August 6, 2001

By	"bluemamma" (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of the most charming and funny modern rewrites of a fairy tale IÕve ever read. In this version, the poor over-worked kid with the wicked stepsiblings is a boy, Prince Cinders. Just like Cinderella, he does all the dirty work around the house, while his three big, handsome (well, they think they are anyway) brothers go out dancing and carousing. Also like Cinderella, Cinders has a fairy godmother. Unfortunately, his fairy seems to lack any qualifications for the job, and in trying to turn him into a big, hairy, hypermasculine hunk like his brothers, she messes up and turns him into ape. I wonÕt go into all the details, but after he loses his pants (no glass slipper here), a clever and beautiful princess chooses him over the big, hairy hunks.

The gender switch is clever, and food for thought. But this book works because itÕs just a terrific story with a central character whoÕs a real charmer, and the illustrations are laugh-out-loud funny. My daughter and I both love this book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brothers can be mean and wicked, too!, May 12, 2008

By	Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (LA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

There are two views I could use in reviewing "Prince Cinders," a modern version of Cinderella. The reader shall choose.

View 1: The politically correct version of gender role reversal. Instead of a girl treated wickedly, the role is inhabited by a boy, or young man, who is made to clean up after his three older brothers. When he wants to go to the dance, his fairy, a young woman who doesn't have the formula to the spells down just yet, sends the young prince as a big, hairy ape. When he changes back into himself, the young princess thinks he has saved her from the big hairy ape. When he runs off, his jeans fall off and become the "glass slipper" of this story. No one can fit into them except this young prince. Marriage, blah, blah.

View 2: A far different politically correct version. Take the same scenario above, but let's add some new factors. The three wicked brothers are big and hairy; the young prince is skinny and wimpy. He is discriminated against because he is not macho. The princess finds the big hairy monkey very frightening because, like the young prince, she, too, is quite thin. She recognizes her soul mate after he turns back into the young skinny, wimpy prince. Marriage, happy ending, blah, blah.

Now, reader, which do you prefer: PC with gender role reversal, or PC with societal opinion of what constitutes male handsomeness? Please vote in the comment section. We'll send the results to Babette Cole, the author, and to Putnam & Gossett, her publisher, and perhaps to Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. If anyone can stop the senseless discrimination against thin folks, it is our Jeff!