398.2

Cinderella's transformation from poor girl to princess never fails to captivate young ones, and this stellar retelling, exquisitely illustrated by Susan Jeffers, is a must for every library. When the original version of this book was published in 1985, Publishers Weekly called it "a treasure for all ages," and The New York Times declared, "Fairy-tale aficionados will be mesmerized." For this hardcover reissue, Susan Jeffers retouched her pen-and- ink and dye illustrations, making them even richer. Her brilliant artwork is showcased in a new interior design featuring a fifth-color gold border. Embossed gold foil type on the jacket of this large-format picture book trumpets the arrival of the girl who went from rags to riches. ( )

I liked this book for many reasons. First, the book pushes readers to think about tough issues. Cinderella had the choice of being mean to her 2 stepsisters who were mean to her, but instead she treated her sisters with respect, which shows a lot of class and character. I also liked this book because it had an interesting plot. Cinderella struggles with being bullied by her sisters. Then she gets a chance to go to a ball and dress up as her sisters do. Everyone realizes that Cinderella is beautiful but not only because of her looks, but because she is kind to everyone. The story ends with Cinderella getting recognition for both her beauty and kind heart. The purpose of this book is to explain that beauty is not just about how you look but also how you treat people. This book also teachers readers to treat others with respect even if they don’t always respect you. ( )

This story takes place during the Medieval time period. This is a "royal" adaptation of the classic story of Cinderella. It follows the typical story of Cinderella, but with an English twist. Cinderella is constantly tormented by her step sisters. She is mocked and bullied throughout the story. Cinderella never falters; nor does she complain. She makes a kind statement that causes her godmother to appear to her. Cinderella is then granted a beautiful dress with various other luxuries and goes to a ball. After midnight strikes, she flees the ball. After the prince discovers that she was his mystery woman, she asks for her step sisters to stay in their palace. This story is quite endearing and has stood the test of time. ( )

This rendition of Cinderella, while similar to Disney's in many ways, includes an emphasis on the forgiving character of Cinderella. The illustrations are beautiful. I thought it was a very sweet retelling of a story we've heard before, and could be useful for helping model forgiveness with younger children. ( )