The Persian Cinderella

by Shirley Climo; illustrated by Robert Florczak

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

From Publishers Weekly
Climo’s (The Egyptian Cinderella; The Irish Cinderlad) adaptation of this Arabian Nights myth offers a capricious twist on the Cinderella story. In preparation for a No Ruz (New Year) celebration at the Royal Palace, Settareh and her stepsisters go to the bazaar to choose cloth for gowns. Settarah, however, gives alms to a beggar and buys a curious blue jug instead. But inside the jug is a pari, or fairy, who grants her wish for a gown. She captures the attentions of the prince, and a lost diamond bangle fallen from her ankle provides the clue to her whereabouts. On the day of Settareh’s anticipated wedding to the Prince, the jealous stepsisters seek vengeance and usurp the magical powers of the pari. They fasten Settareh’s hair with enchanted hairpins to transform her into a turtledove. But Prince Mehrdad’s affections remain steadfast, and it is he who breaks the spell. Historical details in both the verse and illustrations readily transport readers to 15th-century Persia. “Carpets woven in jewel like colors brightened the walls, and the scent of ginger and cinnamon from the Indies and perfumed oils from Egypt hung in the air.” Pomegranate trees, jasmine flowers and other Persian botanicals adorn Florczak’s (The Rainbow Bridge; Birdsong) effervescent landscapes framed with intricate borders. The characters, however, often appear to be pasted on, lending them a hyperrealistic quality. Still, the exotic setting and cultural details make this one of interest to any collector of Cinderella tales. Ages 5-9.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-After giving most of her money to a beggar, young Settareh spends her last coins on a cracked jug instead of purchasing fabric for a new dress to wear to the prince’s celebrations. Resigned to remaining home, she discovers that the pot is inhabited by a pari that is able to grant her every wish. She attends the festival, catches the eye of the prince, leaves behind a diamond ankle bracelet, and is found by the queen. Settareh unwisely reveals the secret of the jug to her stepsisters, who steal it and instruct it to get rid of the young woman. The jug self-destructs, leaving behind six jeweled hairpins that, once placed in Settareh’s hair, turn her into a turtledove. When the grieving prince befriends the bird, he finds the pins and pulls them out, thus restoring his beloved. The story is well told, although the drama, and hence the pace, is somewhat subdued. The narrative reads smoothly and majestically and Climo explains her choices in a source note. Florczak’s sumptuous illustrations have jewel-like tones that glow against the brownline-paper background, and traditional designs decorate the text. The illustrations are realistic and appealing, although in one scene, Settareh is wearing a blue veil with her face exposed when the text specifies that she and the other women draped themselves in black to conceal their faces. Despite this minor flaw, this is a suitable complement to Climo’s other “Cinderella” stories.
Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA

From Kirkus Reviews
PLB 0-06-026765-8 A luminescent interpretation of an ancient Persian tale is Climo’s latest entry to her multicultural collection of Cinderella tales (The Irish Cinderlad, 1996, etc.). Motherless Settareh, whose name means star (a reference to the shape of the birthmark on her cheek), has a typically Cinderella-esque existence with her stepmother and stepsisters. That the ignored and often neglected young woman blossoms into a beauty is a foregone conclusion, but here her aid manifests itself as a parifairyin a mysterious blue jar, and Settareh captures the interest of the young prince at the New Year celebration. The lush descriptions of an authentic time and place lend an exotic tone to the familiar tale: “Each girl and every woman, no matter her age, covered her head with a cloak so that no stranger might look on her face. Then, like a flock of black birds, the mothers, daughters, sisters, and cousins flew down the road to the marketplace.” Florczak’s meticulously researched illustrations faithfully depict the ornate beauty of an ancient land. Minutely detailed borders frame the text while vibrant images stream in saturated colors across the pages. (Picture book/folklore. 5-9)

The San Francisco Chronicle
“Climo’s retelling is full, flavorful and dramatic.”

Starred Review/School Library Journal
“A stunning combination of fluent prose and exquisitely wrought illustrations…A winner.”

The San Francisco Chronicle
“Climo’s retelling is full, flavorful and dramatic.”

Long ago in Persia, there lived a young girl named Settareh. Her name meant Star because on her left cheek was a star-shaped mark. Her mother died giving birth to her. She lived in the women’s part of the house with her stepmother, two stepsisters, three aunts, and four female cousins. She seldom saw her father because she kept busy in the world of men. Settareh was often ignored. She wore her stepsisters’ castoffs and ate their leftovers. She still grew prettier through the years, which made her stepsisters extremely jealous. They often made fun of her star-shaped mark on her face.

One morning Settareh’s father entered the women’s quarters. He announced that Prince Mehrdad invited everyone to the Royal Palace for New Year. He gave each one of them a large gold coin to buy cloth at the bazaar to make their new clothes. Girls no matter what age had to cover their face. All the women covered their faces and rushed to the marketplace.

The first thing Settareh bought was toasted almonds. She had nothing to eat all day. The almond peddler gave her a handful of silver in return. She still had enough money for cloth. As she was leaving to buy her cloth, an old woman tugged at her cloak. Seeing the woman hungry and in worst rags than her, she let most of her coins go into the old woman’s bowl. When she looked at her remaining money, she thought maybe she could buy a new sash.

As Settareh rushed past a pottery stall, she saw a small jug lying in the dust. It was a bright blue jug and it had a crack. She gave her last three coins to buy the jug.

When she returned, her stepsisters made fun of her. Not having a new outfit would disgrace them. Settareh insisted that she would not attend the festival.

The New Year began the first day of spring. Settareh sat alone in the garden with her little cracked blue jug. She didn’t care that it was cracked. She wished it were filled with jasmine blossoms. Suddenly, the little jug quivered and was full of flowers. Realizing the jug was magic, she began wishing for food, warmth, and companionship.

The Eve of the New Year, Settareh watched as her sisters left. As they were leaving, they laughed and poke fun of Settareh. Once her stepsisters left, Settareh took the little blue jug and wished for a dark red silk dress. Beside the dress lay a gold pendant and turquoise bracelets. The best part was two diamond anklets.

When she arrived at the Prince’s palace, there was much music and excitement. No one recognized her. Even her stepsisters thought she was a princess from a foreign land.

As the festival ended, Settareh ran home. She knew she would be in trouble if her stepmother found her bed empty. In her haste, she didn’t notice one of her diamond anklets had fallen off into the shallow canal.

Later the next day, a stable boy found the diamond anklet. He gave it to his master. Being such a valuable item, the master brought it to the King. The King decided he would find the woman who wore the diamond anklet. His mother, the Queen, pointed out that he did not know the ways of woman. She, herself, would conduct the search. The next day, the Queen went from household to household fitting the anklet on every woman, but it did not fit anyone. When the Queen was ready to give up, Settareh appeared wearing the red dress, the gold necklace, the turquoise bracelets, and the other diamond anklet. She bowed before the Queen and politely asked to try on the diamond anklet. The anklet slid on her ankle with ease. The Queen told Settareh that the Prince was waiting for her. When she arrived, she was given a mirror so that she could see the Prince without the embarrassment of facing him. The Prince saw the star-shaped mark on her cheek and told her that the stars foretold that they would be married.

The Queen summoned Settareh’s father to arrange the marriage. For thirty-nine days, the entire kingdom celebrated. The fortieth day was the wedding ceremony. Although the stepsisters were invited to everything, they were still jealous of Settareh. The two stepsisters went to Settareh’s room and took her magical blue jut. Leila held up the blue jug and asked that Settareh be gone forever. The jug grew so hot and shuddered. Leila screamed and dropped the jug shattering it to pieces. In the fragments lay six jeweled hairpins. The stepsisters knew that they would be giving these special pins to Settareh.

That afternoon the stepsisters offered to do Settareh’s hair. They insisted that married women wear their hair up. They stuck the special pins into her hair one by one. By the time they stuck the sixth pin in, Settareh vanished. In her place was a small gray turtledove that flew out the palace window.

The Prince ordered searches for Settareh throughout Persia, but she was nowhere to be found. The Prince isolated himself into his room. He grew thin and pale. His only companion was a small turtledove. He was stroking its head when he felt bumps. He noticed pins sticking in the bird’s head. He started removing them one by one. As he drew the last pin out the bird turned back into Settareh.

They were married and were showered with one thousand matched pearls. The stepsisters were so full of jealousy and rage that their hearts burst. That was the end of the stepsisters but the beginning of happiness for Settareh and her new Prince.

Settareh - She is a Cinderella type character. She has a star-shape on her cheek. Her mother died. She seldom sees her father. She is generous because she gave money to an old woman. She turns into a turtledove. She flies to the Prince.

Stepsisters (Leila and Nahid) - They are jealous of Settareh’s beauty. They tease Settareh. They become even more jealous when she is to marry the prince. They wish for Settareh to be gone forever. They were so jealous of Settareh in the end that their hearts burst.

Prince Mehrdad - He has a party for No Ruz, the New Year. He wants to meet the owner of the anklet. He wants to marry Settareh because of her gold star. He removes the hairpins from the turtledove to reveal Settareh.

Queen - She helps her son to find the owner of the anklet.

Settareh buys a little blue jug at the beginning of the story. She makes a wish for it to be filled with jasmine blossoms. It shakes a little and then fills with white flowers. She even responds by saying the word magic. After this happens, Settareh begins to wish for more things. The little blue jug fulfills them all.

When Nahid and Leila wish for Settareh to be gone forever, the jug gets hot. This causes Leila to drop the jug. When the jug shatters, six hairpins are left behind. When the hairpins are placed in Settareh’s hair, she disappears and a small gray turtledove takes her place.

The turtledove goes to the prince. She allows the Prince to stroke her head. When he does, he discovers hairpins. When he removes them, the turtledove turns back into Settareh.

Go to a Printable Map of Iran from National Geographic

Persians place great value on home and family (Zeinert 24). This may explain why Settareh lives with her stepmother, two stepsister, three aunt, and four female cousins.

The little blue jug grants Settareh new clothes, a golden pendant to wear, turquoise bracelets, and two small diamond studded anklets “Wealthy Persians loved to decorate themselves in jewelry” (Zeinert 21).

Persians considered it indecent to show any part of their body (Zeinert 30-31). This explains why Settareh covered her face with a scarf when she saw the handsome young man.

Finally, men from Persian sported long beards. They also wore turbans often (Zeinert 31). When the queen gave Settareh a mirror, so that she could see the Prince’s reflection, she noticed his eyes, his smile, and his long beard. He was wearing a tulip-shaped turban.

Zeinert, Karen. The Persian Empire. New York: Benchmark Books, 1997.