Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story)

July 1, 2006
Gr 3-6 -This lightweight retelling of the classic fairy tale will please girls who like undemanding and familiar stories with a twist. In this version, Cinderella writes letters to her dead mama complaining about her evil stepmother and attractive but mean-spirited older stepsisters. She spends her days cleaning, cooking, sewing, and generally feeling miserable and put-upon even though she tries to be nice and accommodating. Readers know how it all ends, and Ensor recounts it dutifully, but adds what happens after the curtain traditionally falls on the story. The two work hard on their marriage, since they barely know one another, and eventually the prince becomes a king and a singer while Cinderella finds the other side of herself -as a talented diplomat fully capable of improving their country and the world all around them. Black-and-white silhouettes are positioned throughout the text but don -t add much to the story." -Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 14, 2006
Ensor gives readers yet another twist on the Cinderella tale, but this contemporary paper-over-board version is a bit too economical on plot and description. Within a week of her father's remarriage, Cinderella's new stepmother redecorates the house and moves Cinderella up to the attic ("My girls' furniture could not possibly fit up there," the woman says). As the heroine's father spends more time away from the house, his wife gives Cinderella more chores to do. One day, an invitation to the prince's ball arrives, and Cinderella tells her stepsisters that she does not plan to attend ("I don't have the right clothes"). Yet, once the girls leave, Cinderella's fairy godmother appears and, well, you know the rest: she gets a makeover and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend the ball. The "Happily Ever After" ending comes with a bit of a New Age-spin: the Prince, now King, spends his days singing "songs about his soppiest, saddest most heartfelt feelings," while Queen Cinderella becomes the best diplomat in the history of the kingdom. The royal couple moves into a modest home and turns the palace into an animal hospital with Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters as caretakers. Minimalist black & white illustrations contribute to the retelling's modern feel, while the heroine's handwritten letters to her deceased mother offer insight into her thoughts. The combination of the two provides a distinction to this rather bland retelling. Ages 7-10.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.