CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1955
Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper
translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown
New York: Macmillan, 1954
30 pp.
Age: 3 +
Interests: fairy tales, princesses, magic
A very faithful translation of the original Perrault Cinderella. This is the version of the tale most familiar to modern audiences. The Brothers Grimm version, titled Aschenputtel, is very different – no pumpkins, golden slippers instead of glass, a bird instead of a godmother, and with a heaping helping of gory details and punishments. This version, on the other hand, is much more stately, though rather obsessed with details about their dresses and hairdo’s.
The illustrations are modern and free-form yet still dainty and enchanting, fully satisfying to children eager for all the french frills and ornamentation of the traditional fairy tale. And Cinderella forgives her sisters at the end, so no punishments are doled out.
A bright and lively version of one of the most popular tales ever told.
Rarest Kind of Best 