Axolotl-Ella: A Sort-Of Cinderella Story

By Kate Messner

Cinderella has never been so adorable--or amphibious --as in this fractured fairytale picture book by New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner, with art by award-winning illustrator Lian Cho.

Axolotl-Ella is a quick and clever salamander with a daring, deliciously ambitious dream. All she needs to do to make her dream a reality is to meet the Prince at the King's Festival. So with a little bit of magic from the lake of the night, Ella makes her skin gleam and her gills glow--and conjures the perfect outfit for a fancy party

But the Prince talks a lot, and the magic wears off at midnight. Can Axolotl-Ella find a way to make her dream come true, or will she be stuck at the murky lake with her annoying stepsisters forever?

Bestselling author Kate Messner has created a funny, empowering retelling of the Cinderella story with a confident heroine who's way too practical for glass slippers. Complemented with laugh-out-loud illustrations by award-winning illustrator Lian Cho, and filled with amusing axolotl facts, Axolotl-Ella is destined to become a storytime favorite.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593837991
• ISBN13: 9780593837993
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Ten Speed Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3