Traditional Tales, Cinderella

Title: Cinderella
Author: Retold By Cynthia Rylant
Publisher: Disney Press
Publish Date: 2007
ISBN: 1-4231-0421-8

Bethany's Rating: 5/5


Summary: This story is the story of Cinderella. A girl who lost her mother and father and is now living with her step mother and three step sisters. Cinderella is looking for love. The King holds a ball for the Prince so that he can find a princess. Cinderella's stepmother and three step-sisters go to the ball but leave Cinderella behind. Cinderella starts to cry because she has nothing to wear to the ball when a fairy godmother comes to save Cinderella. The fairy godmother gives Cinderella a magical dress and tells her that she has until midnight till the magic wears out. Cinderella goes to the ball and dances with the prince. They fall in love and at midnight Cinderella rushes away. She leaves her slipper behind and the next day the princes workers go into the town to find the girl who the slipper belongs to. They go to Cinderella's house and the three step sisters all try it on but it fits none of them. Cinderella goes to try it on and the step sisters break the shoe. Cinderella says she has the match and brings over the matching shoe. Cinderella and the Prince then live happily ever after.

 Evaluation: I love this rendition of Cinderella. Cynthia Rylant tells in beautifully. The story is told more from the perspective of love and belonging then the way it is usually told. For instance, the godmother is portrayed as not just a god mother but is introduced as a guardian to Cinderella by saying " Cinderella's tears then flowed like a fountain, now for joy, not sadness. She was an orphan no more"  I also enjoyed the interaction between the prince and Cinderella. " How does a young man find his maiden? His heart leads him. He find her in a room. He asks her to dance. And when he touches her, he knows. Cinderella and the young prince danced into a private world all their own. They did not even speak. In silence, Love found them." Rylant brings out the emotion and feeling behind the story which is lost in the newer versions of Cinderella. The pages with text are simple with one color backgrounds and the pages with pictures take up a whole page and are simple.