Ashpet: An Appalachian Tale (School & Library Binding)

by Joanne Compton (Author), Kenn Compton (Illustrator) "Long ago, in a cabin deep in the shadow of Eagle's Nest Mountain, lived a serving girl called Ashpet..." (more)
Key Phrases: Widow Hooper, Doc Ellison, Eagle's Nest Mountain

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this capably handled hillbilly version of Cinderella , with elements borrowed from the Grimm Brothers' "Aschenputtel," a servant girl charms a doctor's son. "Fresh-faced and regular-featured" Ashpet is "bound out" to the Widow Hooper and her two daughters. When company stops by, Ashpet's employers, jealous of her looks, hide her under a washtub (the hem of her sackcloth dress sticks out from under it like a cat's tail). But Ashpet's kind-heartedness never flags, and her generosity toward their "peculiar" neighbor, Granny, pays off. When the Hoopers go off to an important church meeting, Granny magically cleans the house and provides Ashpet with a pretty red calico dress and red shoes. The rest is fairy-tale history. Joanne Compton dots the tale with "backwoods" lingo ("Jes' you fetch me out some fire"), while Kenn Compton opts for an artistic approach that's both subtler and more effective than that of the couple's debut, Granny Greenteeth and the Noise in the Night ; gangly Ashpet and her beau are goofy but not overbearingly so, and shucks, they're kinda cute. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-As they did with Jack the Giant Chaser (Holiday, 1993), the Comptons have provided a cheerful Appalachian retelling of a classic tale. Joanne Compton has used the version recorded in Richard Chase's Grandfather Tales (Houghton, 1973) and added some distinctive touches that enhance the story's regional flavor. Here, Ashpet is a widow's "hired-out" girl rather than a stepdaughter; the fairy godmother is an "old granny"; the ball is a lengthy church meeting; and the handsome suitor is not a prince but the doctor's son. Young readers may also note that, unlike some of the more passive Cinderellas, Ashpet earns her right to attend the church meeting by her kindness to the old granny and shows some ingenuity when she deliberately loses her shoe. Kenn Compton's humorous watercolor cartoons capture the action and feature wild facial expressions. Ashpet is depicted as being almost as homely as the widow's daughters. Readers will enjoy comparing this to versions of the tale by the Grimms and Perrault, as well as to Louie Ai-Ling's Yeh-Shen (1990), based on the ancient Chinese variant mentioned in the author's note and to other American regional variants such as Rafe Martin's The Rough-Face Girl (1992, both Putnam).
Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823411060
• ISBN-13: 978-0823411061
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,154,914 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An American Fairy Tale, May 22, 2000

By	Alison Sylvester (US) - See all my reviews

This book is an American twist on the traditional Cinderella. Ashpet is a servant on an Appalachian farm. Instead of going to the ball, the charcters go to a "meeting." The Prince is a doctor's son. The fairy god mother is an elderly woman who is all alone. This book is a nice varient of Cinderella and will provide another view on the traditional tale.