One of my favorite versions of the Cinderella story, this Appalachian tale is told in a breezy, genial way, accompanied by comic illustrations of the folk of Eagle's Nest Mountain. ( )

Ashpet, an indentured servant in the home of the capricious and cruel Widow Hooper, and her two lazy daughters, Myrtle and Ethel, was made to work from morning till night, and hidden away - because of her superior beauty - whenever visitors came to call. When the annual Eagle's Nest Mountain church meeting, held every year after the harvest, comes around, Ashpet is left behind, and told to clean the house. Fortunately, her kindness to Granny, a local elder and witch-woman, results in some much-needed magic, and Ashpet attends the meeting after all, dressed in a beautiful red calico dress, with matching red shoes. There she attracts the attention of the local doctor's son, who, when Ashpet disappears, uses her shoe to trace her...

This Appalachian variant of the classic Cinderella story, which was recorded by Richard Chase in his 1948 collection, Grandfather Tales, is retold in picture-book form by Joanne and Kenn Compton, whose other folkloric picture-books include Sody Sallyratus and Jack the Giant Chaser. The language used is colloquial, and many of the details of the story have been adapted to the (past and present) realities of Appalachian life: Cinderella is a "hired-out" girl here, the prince is a doctor's son, and the ball a church meeting. The artwork is humorous, in a cartoon-like way that, although not really my "cup of tea," works well with the story. A brief foreword gives more information about the background of the story, which is something I always look for in folk and fairy-tale retellings. I was interested to see that the Chinese variant of this tale, Yeh-Shen, is credited as the first recorded version - this is a claim I have seen in a number of places - as the ancient Egyptian story of Rhodopis (see: The Egyptian Cinderella for a retelling) predates it by many centuries.

Leaving aside this (sadly) all-too common error in the foreword, Ashpet is an engaging picture-book, offering a different take on a familiar and much-loved story. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers looking for Cinderella variants. ( )

Ashpet was a servant who lived in a cabin by Eagle's Nest Mountain. The little girl did nothing but work, and cleaned for Widow Hooper and her daughters. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere, not even a church picnic. When Ashpet granny arrives, her whole life changed. She was able to do whatever she liked, she even married the doctor son, and lived better than the widows daughters. ( )