Cinderella

by Charles Perrault

Book Overview

"This satisfying tale never grows old." -Yellow Brick Road

Cinderella, the most popular of all fairy tales, is a time-less story of virtue rewarded. Sweet, beautiful Cinderella, cruelly mistreated by her evil stepmother and stepsisters, is helped by her magical fairy godmother, who sends her off to win the heart of a handsome prince and live happily ever after. Anthea Bell's graceful translation of this classic tale is...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0735814864
• ISBN13: 9780735814868
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Northsouth Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.2" x 11.6"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The Original Cinderella Story

I chose this book for my granddaughter based on other reviews because it was said to be a translation of the original story that was written by a French author. The illustrations are excellent except for one thing - Cinderella does not look "one thousand times more beautiful" than her ugly stepsisters in the illustrations. Might this teach a young girl that beauty may lie in what one wears? Although the story contained a few words (such as "wicked") I had to explain to my four year old granddaughter, she told me she liked it.

One of a multitude of Cinderellas ...

and one that is beautiful and very different. It takes a bit of chutzpah to recommend a particular Cinderella. Google Books is a rich source of the Cinderella stories: there's a collection of 345 different versions in CINDERELLA by Marian Roalfe Cox (1892), over 2,300 books with "Cinderella" in the title, an opera by Gioacchino Rossini, and 37,600,000 hits on Google. This "Cinderella" is special in a couple of ways. It reminds the reader of Charles Perrault who gets pride of authorship for this book. He published "Histoires et Contes du Temps Passé" ("Mother Goose Tales", 1729). There were eight fairy tales told in a polished style, including five that have become icons: "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", "Puss in Boots", "Bluebeard", and "Red Riding Hood". Roberto Innocenti paints in a realistic and detailed style, with delicate colors and a refined lines. This CINDERELLA is one of his first major works in English. He placed Cinderella in an English village during the Roaring Twenties. That would reduce the influence of previous illustrators and freshen the tale. He kept the glass slipper, of course, although in some versions the slipper is made of fur. The story is very easy to read, either to oneself or aloud to kids. Here's the introduction, for example: "There was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had, by a former husband, two daughters who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. He had, by another wife, a young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the world." The cover is a fair representation of the artwork; there are many details that kids love to look at after the reading is done. If you aren't convinced, search Google Books for " Roberto Innocenti Cinderella ". You'll find several other illustrations. A small drawing of Cinderella in a window is achingly poignant -- she might be in a prison cell. The illustration at "Once upon a time" is more complex but equally poignant. The man tips his hat to his wife and her two daughters while Cinderella washes clothes below them. The details are wonderful: Cinderella's hair net contrasts with the flapper hats of the three women; there is a strong family resemblance, but each of the three women have their own personalities; the snow in the wall crevices makes your hands ache with cold as you empathize with Cinderella. [As an eight year old pointed out, no steam comes up from the running water on this cold winter day.] Is the man Cinderella's father? Both the man and Cinderella are brunettes, and the hair cut is similar. But would the husband tip his hat to his new wife and daughters in the Roaring Twenties? Generally, where was Cinderella's father in any of the versions of this fairy tale? How could a father have permitted a good and sweet tempered girl to be so mistreated? Innocenti may have left a clue in the pinched face of t

Ciderella

I am writing a book review about Cinderella and it's a nice book.It's a nice book because it is a faiytale and I like thoose books. Cinderella has a great dress and it's always a good ending. This is a book that is about that a sister that is a stepsister and the dad died when she was little and she know cleans everything and she doesn't get to goto partys.I hope you enjoy my story and have a good time reading it.

Finally

This was one of my favorite books during my childhood. I lent it to a friend and it never came back to me, therefore I have been searching for it for a long time (I forgot the title and author). The book is in a novel format with beautiful silhouettes illustrating almost every page. If you like fairy tales that have been re-written, this is a really good choice.

A Unique and Compelling Cinderella

If you are a Cinderella fan, this book, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti, is a must. I have read countless versions of Cinderella and looked at numerous illustrations. I have never seen the story treated like this. Innocenti sets Cinderella in the 1920s with flapper clothes and cars (instead of a pumpkin carriage). Never fear, a glass slipper is still here. I am usually tired of Cinderella books, to be honest, but this one kept me turning pages to see what was going to happen. I have become selective in my Cinderella purchases, but I had to own this one.The ISBN for the Roberto Innocenti version is 1568461305. The reviews for the different versions of Cinderella sometimes get confused, but this is the book you will want to get.