I love modified fairy tales, but what I love even more is when they have strong girls at the heart of the story.
Summary from the publisher:
Handsome
princes, fancy castles, extravagant balls . . . in this girl-power fractured
fairy tale, Cinderella learns that if it looks too good to be true, it probably
is, and it’s better to create your own happy ending.
Cinderella
is dying to go to the ball. She’s seen pictures of the fancy castle and the
handsome prince, she’s heard the fairy tales about true love, she’s found the
perfect dress in Princess magazine and she’s even found an ad for a Fairy
Godmother. She’s all set.
Except the
fairy godmother doesn’t look like the one in the ad. And the castle doesn’t
look like the picture. And the prince . . . well, Cinderella decides her
fairy-tale ending is going to look different–and be a whole lot more fun.
Cinderella and the Furry Slippers was written by Davide Cali and
illustrated by Raphaëlle Barbanègre. It was published in 2017 by Tundra Books.
Opening:
Once upon a time there was a poor
little girl named Cinderella who lived with a terrible stepmother and two even
worse stepsisters.
She spent her days housecleaning
while her awful stepmother and stepsisters had tea and cake.
My Thoughts as a Writer:
This
humorous take on the traditional fairy tale shows a strong female character who
makes her own decisions. The author has created an engaging voice for the story
and provided us with a non-traditional ending that leaves some room for speculation.
My Thoughts as a Teacher:
This is a
nice choice for showing students that princesses can be strong and make their
own decisions—and maybe even try a different job. It would be interesting to compare and
contrast this with a traditional version of the story.
Ages: 4 - 7
Grades: PreK – Grade 2
Themes: princesses, fractured fairy tales,
careers
Activities:
Discuss:
What is your favorite page in the story? Why?
Draw/Write:
What new job do you think Cinderella decided to try? Draw and write about it.
I like this Cinderella who has a mind of her own and makes her own choices. What a great teaching tool.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of atypical princesses. And this story sounds both funny, clever, and idea-sparking. I'm going to check it out. Thanks for the rec!
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun! Thanks for the introduction!
ReplyDeleteI love the fractured fairy tales with strong characters, too. I hadn't seen this one, yet. Thanks for highlighting it.
ReplyDeleteI love fractured fairy tales. This one looks fantastic! I am adding it to my list.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great premise!
ReplyDelete