Cinderella

translation by Marcia Brown

Book reviews Story Characters Use of Magic Country of origin & printable map Related Books

From Publishers Weekly
Elegant paintings of a cavernous castle and an enchanted countryside distinguish this retelling of the transformed maiden. Ages 5-8.

Book Description
There is perhaps no better loved, no more universal story than Cinderella. Almost every country in the world has a version of it, but the favorite of story-tellers is the French version by Charles Perrault.

This translation is excellent for story-telling and also for reading aloud. Marcia Brown’s illustrations are full of magic and enchantment from the little cupids putting back the hands of the clock to the last scene at the palace. They are pictures that will stay in a child’s mind.

Cinderella’s father married a proud and haughty woman who had two daughters just like her. Cinderella was sweet and good.

The wedding ceremony was barely over when the stepmother’s temper flared. She could not stand Cinderella’s goodness. It made her daughters look more hateful. Cinderella was forced to wear rags, clean, and sleep on a straw pallet. Although Cinderella was unhappy, she knew she could not tell her father. It would have only angered him because he was tied to his new wife’s apron strings.

In the coming days, it was announced that the prince was giving a ball. All the stepsisters did was talk about the beautiful clothes they would wear and how lovely they would be. For two days, they starved themselves so that their waists would be thin. Cinderella fixed their hair. Because of Cinderella’s goodness, she made their hair look beautiful.

After the stepsisters left for the ball, Cinderella cried. She longed for a chance to attend the Prince’s ball. As she sat crying, her fairy godmother appeared and asked why she wept. Cinderella expressed how bad she wanted to go to the ball. The fairy godmother told her to fetch a pumpkin. She changed the pumpkin into a beautiful carriage. Next, the fairy godmother took six mice from a mousetrap and turned them into six magnificent horses. A rat, the best out of three, was made into the coachman. Then, the fairy godmother took six lizards from the pond and turned them into footmen. Cinderella was grateful to her fairy godmother, but still pondered over her ragged clothes. With a touch of the fairy godmother, Cinderella’s outfit was changed into a beautiful costume embroidered with rubies, pearls, and diamonds. When Cinderella left for the ball, she was reminded of her midnight deadline.

As Cinderella appeared at the ball, everyone including the Prince noticed her beauty. Women at the ball took notes on Cinderella’s dress. They wanted to try and copy her costume. She made such an impression on the Prince that he gave her oranges and lemons. Seeing her stepsisters, Cinderella decided to sit with them and share her fruit. They did not recognize her. By midnight, Cinderella returned home. When her stepsisters arrived home, they bragged to Cinderella all about the beautiful princess and how they shared her fruit.

The next night, there was another ball. The fairy godmother appeared again. With a touch, she transformed Cinderella’s rags into a more beautiful costume than the night before. Cinderella enjoyed the Prince so much that she missed her midnight deadline. As the clock struck twelve, she ran leaving one small glass slipper behind. The remaining glass slipper she carried in her pocket.

A few days later, the Prince sent his herald out to find the woman who fit the glass slipper. When the herald arrived at Cinderella’s home, he had the stepsisters try on the glass slipper. It did not fit either of them. When, Cinderella asked to try it on, the stepsisters laughed and made fun of her. The herald noting that all women had to try on the glass slipper had Cinderella try it on. As the slipper slid on, Cinderella pulled the other one from her pocket. Suddenly, Cinderella’s fairy godmother appeared. She touched Cinderella’s rags and turned them into the most magnificent costume of all. The stepsisters threw themselves at her feet and begged her to forgive them. Cinderella forgave them and begged them to love her always.

Cinderella was brought the Prince. They were married a few days later. Cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her sisters a home at the palace and on the same day, they married two great lords of the court.

Father - He marries a haughty woman and is never mentioned again.

Stepmother - She is bad tempered. She is angry because Cinderella makes her daughters look bad.

Cinderella - She is forced to do all the chores. Because of her goodness, she is rewarded by the fairy godmother. She lives happily ever after with the Prince.

Stepsisters - They are wicked and spoiled. They make fun of Cinderella. In the end, they ask for her forgiveness.

Fairy Godmother - She helps Cinderella. She uses her magic to give her the things she needs.

Prince - He dances with Cinderella at the ball. He falls in love with her beauty. He vows to marry the owner of the glass slipper.

This version of Cinderella is filled with the magic brought by the fairy godmother. She turns a pumpkin into a golden carriage; mice into horses; a rat into a coachman; and lizards into footmen. Finally, she changes Cinderella’s rags into a gown of gold and silver, embroidered with rubies, pearls, and diamonds and a pair of glass slippers that will eventually lead her Prince back to her.

In the end, when Cinderella tries on the glass slipper, the godmother appears and changes her rags into another beautiful gown. This causes the stepsisters to recognize her and apologize for their mistreatment of her.

Go to a Printable Map of France from National Geographic

We see the French culture throughout this version of Cinderella. Words like madame and mademoiselle abound throughout. Madame is the French word for Mrs. And Mademoiselle is the French word for Miss (Ingham 110).

Also, many members of the upper class lived in grand homes (Conboy 21). We see the example of such a home in the illustrations as well as in the words such as bedchambers.

Agriculture is important to the economy of France (Conboy 18). This would help to explain the easy access to a pumpkin which would later turn into a golden carriage.

France is known as a land of elegant fashions (Conboy5). In fact, Paris has some of the top fashion houses (Ingham 90). When the stepsisters learn about the ball, the chatter insecently of what they will wear. The talk of costume and headdresses. Even when Cinderella arrives at the ball, the ladies are busy studying her gown and headdress.

Finally, life at the court of the king, such as Louis XIV, was marked by extravagant entertainment (Ingham 55). This would explain why no one was shocked or surprised by the announcement of a ball. They were excited to go, but it is almost as if they expected a ball to happen or that it might even happen regularly.

Conboy, Fiona and Roseline Ngcheong-Lum. Welcome to France. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 2000.

Ingham, Richard. Nations of the World: France. Austin: Raintree, 2000.