The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark

Written By: Carmen Agra Deedy

Illustrated By: Henri Sorensen

The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark, written by Carmen Agra Deedy, is a powerful story of heroism, strength, pride, and unity.  During World War II, the Nazis invaded Copenhagen, Denmark.  King Christian X was said to be a strong leader who stood strong for his people.  As told in the legend, the Nazis ordered anyone who was a Jew to wear a yellow star to be visible at all times.  The people of Denmark were frightened because they had heard stories of Jews being taken away once they wore the yellow star.  King Christian X decided that all of Denmark would wear yellow stars in order to protect the Jews. 

Carmen Agra Deedy begins her story with a strong and intriguing lead.  “Early in the year 1940, in the country of Denmark, there were only Danes.  Tall Danes.  Stout Danes.  Old Danes.  Silly Danes.  Cranky Danes…and even some Great Danes.”  Deedy immediately catches the attention of readers and makes them want to continue reading.  Deedy also uses the technique of making a long story short in order to maintain the interest of young readers while providing enough information to give understanding.  For example, when letting readers know that the Nazis invaded Copenhagen, Deedy writes, “Soon Nazi solders gathered like dark clouds at the Danish border.  Their arrival in Copenhagen brought food shortages, curfews, and a new flag, which was hung at the palace.”

Deedy’s repetitive words and phrases throughout the story emphasize their importance.  For example, “If King Christian called on the tiny Danish army to fight, Danes would die.  If he did nothing, Danes would die.”  The emphasis is on King Christian’s dilemma—that regardless of what he did in order to solve the problem, Danes would die.  Deedy emphasizes the unity of the Danes when she states, “…there were only Danes.  Tall Danes.  Stout Danes.  Old Danes.  Silly Danes.  Cranky Danes…and even Great Danes.”  Deedy writes her story using simple, yet poetic text that is very easy to follow and understand.  For example, “The terrible news arrived quietly, with leaflets that fluttered down on the city of Copenhagen.”  She creates an image in our minds of people spreading both the news and their worry.   

Danish illustrator Henri Sorensen paints in a style that is both representational and impressionistic.  This combination of style is able to evoke strong emotions from readers.  At some points in the story, he illustrates with fine details—particularly in the faces of the people of Copenhagen.  Readers can see the fear and the worry in their eyes.  It is at these points where we are pulled in emotionally to the scenes.  In the beginning and the end of the legend, where there are only Danes, his style is more impressionistic—emphasizing light and movement over the fine details.   Sorensen also shows powerful images of war, which he illustrates in shades of black and white.  These colors help to distance the reader from the horror of war—as we see images of tanks, sinking ships, and groups of Jews walking towards Concentration camps.   Overall, the illustrations are paintings that look as though they should be on display as artwork—he is an unbelievable artist.

The Yellow Star is perfect to use in conjunction with Lois Lowry’s, Number the Stars.  The setting of Number the Stars is in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the same time period as The Yellow Star.  The legend of Christian X is a further extension to the character portrayed in Lowry’s novel.  Lowry does a phenomenal job of portraying the setting of Copenhagen accurately in her novel.  Having the background information from Number the Stars makes The Yellow Star all the more powerful.

Carmen Agra Deedy includes an Author’s Note in the back of the book that explains the authenticity and accuracy of the legend.  She mentions that unfortunately, there is only unauthenticated proof that the story of King Christian X and his legendary defiance ever occurred against the Nazis.  Deedy gained much of her perspective on the setting of Copenhagen from Lois Lowry’s, Number the Stars.  Through Deedy’s research, she did find that King Christian X did ride through the streets of Copenhagen without guard, no Jews were ever forced to wear the yellow star, Denmark was one of the only places that rescued the majority of its Jews, and the king did support the Danish Jews.

Although only a legend, through her Note, Deedy encourages us to think what would have happened if every Dane had worn the yellow Star of David in order to protect the Jews.  She further encourages us to think about what would happen if we could still follow the same example.  She states, “What if the good and strong people of the world stood shoulder to shoulder, crowding the streets and filling the squares, saying, “You cannot do this injustice to our sisters and brothers, or you must do it to us as well.””  Deedy leaves us with the powerful question, “What if?”

Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella

Written By: Alan Schroeder

Illustrated By: Brad Sneed

“Now Lis’en.  Smack in the heart o’ the Smoky Mountains, there was this old trapper livin’ in a log cabin with his daughter.  One night, while Rose was fryin’ a mess o’ fish, the trapper, he starts lookin’ dejected-like.  “I reckon it’s hard on ye, not havin’ a ma,” he said.  “Tell me, Rose, would ye lak me to git hitched again?  There’s a widow woman with two daughters down the road a piece.  Way I see it, we’d all fit together neater’n a jigsaw.”

And with that, the story of Smoky Mountain Rose begins.  Author Alan Schroeder bases this sidesplitting tale on Charles Perrault’s, “Cendrillon.”  Perrault’s tale is one of the most popular versions of the classic Cinderella and is the one that most Americans are familiar with.  Schroeder kept many of the familiar elements of Cinderella in his version, Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella.   For example, the glass slippers, evil stepsisters, and the midnight curfew are all a part of Schroeder’s tale.  He also kept the overall plot the same—although, he did change the ending a bit by telling readers that Rose and Seb are still living happily ever after to this day—as they are sitting on a swing happily in their old age.

Although many of the classic elements of Cinderella are the same, the variations he made are what made this version special.  For example, a prince would be quite unrealistic, so instead, Schroeder created Seb who was a, “real rich feller—made his fortune in sowbellies and grits.”  Instead of having a fancy ball, Seb hosts a party—a shindig if you will.  To give the country feel, Smoky Mountain Rose’s godmother is a hog—and her carriage was made from mushmelon. 

Another difference in this tale is that the stepmother and stepsisters recognize Smoky Mountain Rose when she arrives at the party.  As they watched Rose and Seb having a great time, “Gertie and her two daughters stood off to the side, madder n’ blazes.  “Look at her,” sneered Gertie, “sashayin’ round lak she’s the belly o’ the ball.  I’ll fix her when she gits home—giver her a list o’ chores she won’t never finish.”  Similar to the Disney version; however, the stepsisters do have a change of heart once Seb and Rose get married.

The language and dialogue of this story is what makes it so comical.  This is definitely a book that needs to be read aloud in order to appreciate the full humor of the story.  Most reviews for this version were very positive; however, there were two reviewers on Amazon that did not appreciate the book at all.  One reviewer stated, “This book is a mockery of Southern Appalachian people.  Not only is the dialogue incorrectly conveyed, but the pictures are demeaning as well.”  Another reviewer writes, “The dialect is less Appalachian and more like something straight from an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies.”  It appears as though one reviewer is from West Virginia and the other does not specify.  Without being a cultural insider myself, it is hard to say whether or not this book is overall offensive to the Appalachian people.

The brightly colored illustrations by Brad Sneed are unique and expressionistic.  The figures are drawn very angular and disproportionate.  For example, the characters have narrow upper bodies and tall skinny necks, but have very wide lower bodies.  Sneed also uses a lot of perspective in his full-bleed illustrations.  Sometimes, we are brought in close to the action and other times we are kept away—but we are always kept close to the action through Sneed’s use of angles.  A reviewer from the School Library Journal writes, “The paintings are realistically rendered but slightly distorted figures are elongated and angular, features exaggerated, and perspectives askew. People are clad in fashions of the 1940s and the lush Appalachian landscape is always in evidence. The fanciful, but decidedly quirky artwork effectively informs readers, in case they didn't already know it, that there's magic in them thar hills.”  Booklist writes, “Sneed's watercolors are rich and intense; his angular lines draw readers into the action, whether the perspective is up close for Rose's feet or set back for scenes from a distance.”

Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella is a valuable tale to add to any Cinderella collection.  However, it is important to keep in mind that the dialogue and representation of the Appalachian people may not be accurate throughout the story.  Therefore, it is critical that if this book is made available to read, other books that accurately depict Appalachia must also be made available in order to void any stereotypes that may present themselves through the reading of this book.

Hansel and Gretel

Retold By: Roberto Piumini

Illustrated By: Anna Laura Cantone

Italian author, Roberto Piumini in collaboration with illustrator Anna Laura Cantone, have created a version of Hansel and Gretel that is light, humorous, and perfect for young readers.  Piumini tells the story using simple language.  For example, “A few weeks later, the witch felt the twig again and became impatient.  “That’s it!” she said.  “Whether you are fat or thin, I’m going to eat you right now.  Light the fire, Gretel!”” This in comparison to a version of the Brothers Grimm, “When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer. "Now, then, Gretel," she cried to the girl, "stir yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-morrow I will kill him, and cook him."”

Piumini also makes the tale a little less harsh for young readers.  For example, when Gretel shoves the witch into the oven, Piumini writes, “But as soon she opened the door, Gretel shoved the witch into the oven and trapped her inside forever.”  Again, in comparison to a version of the Brothers Grimm, “Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh. Then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away, and the godless witch was miserably burnt to death. Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and cried, "Hansel, we are saved. The old witch is dead."”

Accompanying the text are Anna Laura Cantone’s interesting and cartoon-like illustrations.  Hansel and Gretel are drawn with big round eyes, huge noses, rectangle bodies, and tiny hands and feet.  These illustrations set more of a humorous tone to the book and help the reader to feel safe.  The witch, although given a more evil appearance, is quite funny looking with her huge nose, tiny teeth, feet, and arms, gigantic body, and hairy legs. 

In reading information about Cantone, I found out that her illustrations are a combination of acrylic, pencil and collage.  I did not notice the collage aspect of her illustrations until I went back and relooked at them.  Although there is not a ton, she did include what looks to be sandpaper, rope, and beads incorporated in her illustrations.  She also uses two lines around her characters.  The black line is to define the character and the red line is to give a vibrant effect.  It was interesting to find out the purpose of these lines.  Overall, these visual effects give her illustrations three-dimensional appeal that will engage and interest young readers.

In the back of the book, Piumini extends the fairytale by including a glossary, discussion questions, and directions for how to write your own fairytale.  I thought the directions Piumini gave for writing a fairytale were clear and easy to understand.  It will give direction to young readers who are inspired to write their own fairytales!

Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale From the Brothers Grimm

Translated By: Randall Jarrell

Illustrated By: Nancy Ekholm Burkert

The German version of Snow White collected by the Brothers Grimm is one of the best-known versions of the classic tale.  The Brothers Grimm version featured some of the well-known elements of Snow White such as the magic mirror and the seven dwarfs.  The Brothers Grimm version, translated into English by Randall Jarrell, begins with the story of how Snow White came to be.  “Once it was the middle of winter, and the snowflakes fell from the sky like feathers.  At a window with a frame of ebony a queen sat and sewed.  And as she sewed and looked out at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell in the snow.  And in the white snow the red looked so beautiful that she thought to herself: “If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood in the window frame!””  The story continues as with the main plot being what we would expect—the Queen dies, the father remarries an evil step-mother, and the mother plots to kill Snow White because she is envious and jealous of her beauty.

Since this version is a literal translation of the Brothers Grimm version, it is certainly authentic.  Jarrell even chose to leave in the original Grimm ending, where the stepmother had to put on red-hot slippers and dance till she dropped down dead.  This ending leaves a bit of a different taste than the Disney version of, “And they lived happily ever after.”  Although the evil stepmother got what she deserved, it for some reason seemed more horrifying of a death than the three that Snow White had faced—perhaps it was because we knew she would survive all along.

What is interesting about this version of Snow-White is that Jarrell and illustrator Burkert alternated between side-by-side pages of strictly text, and double-paged, full-bleed illustrations.  The only time they did not use this technique was in the very beginning of the story when the illustration of Snow White’s mother is on the left page and the text beginning the story is on the right.  Since so much happened in the story on the pages with text, it was interesting to turn the page and see what details Burkert decided to focus on for her illustrations.  For example, Jarrell groups the events of the dwarfs saving Snow-White from the lacing that is tied to tight, the stepmother coming back to kill Snow-White with a poisoned comb, her coming back to life again, and the stepmother devising a plan to make a poisoned apple all in one spread.  Burkert chose to focus on the stepmother creating the poisoned apple in her next illustration. 

The intricate details of the beautiful illustrations will capture the interest of readers and have them spending just as much time looking at the pictures as they do reading the text.  The first illustration is when Snow-White is running through the woods—never to return home to her evil stepmother.  The page is completely saturated with muted shades of brown, black, blue, and yellow.  Our attention is drawn to Snow-White as her brightly colored yellow and blue dress stand out against the otherwise dreary forest.  The animals all seem curious as to why she is in the forest, but none seem to bother her.  They all seem to be running away—as if sensing the danger she carries with her.

As we are introduced to the seven dwarfs, there is a wider variety of color used in the illustrations.  Although never bright, the colors are less muted than they were previously.  This seems to signify that Snow-White is safe and happy with her new found life with the dwarfs.  Burkert continues to vary her color palate in order to reflect the happiness or sadness that we are to feel.  The illustrations are widely framed and leave only about a centimeter outside of the picture.  This allows readers to feel emotionally drawn in to each scene—yet gives readers a little bit of distance in order to feel safe. 

Although I think the illustrations along with this version of the story may be a bit frightful for children, illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert won the Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in this book.  Kirkus Reviews, as found on Amazon called the collaboration between Randall Jarrell and Burkert, “a sort of legend even before its time of publication.”  An Amazon review states, “Burkert’s illustrations are magical, light-filled creations that more than earn the book its Caldecott Honor Book status…This is an unforgettable interpretation of a well-loved story.” 

Tomie dePaola's Big Book of Favorite Legends

Collection Written By: Tomie dePaola

Tomie dePaola’s collection consists of four of his previously written legends.  The first tale, The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas, tells how the Texas state flower, bluebonnet, came to grow in the wild.   The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: An Old Tale of Wyoming, is a similar tale to Bluebonnet; however, it is about how the red, orange, yellow, and pink Indian Paintbrush wildflowers that bloom throughout Wyoming.  The third tale, The Legend of the Poinsettia: An Old Tale of Mexico, is about how the beautiful red flowers, the poinsettias, became a symbol of Christmas.  Lastly, the fourth and most humorous tale, Tony’s Bread: An Old Tale of Italy, is about how the traditional Italian sweet bread, panettone, came to be.

dePaola includes an author’s note for each tale that provides some background information on each legend.  He mentions how he took the greatest liberties with Tony’s Bread because it is such a widely varied tale to begin with.  dePaola does not necessarily go into great detail about how he researched each tale.  He is not a cultural insider to the first three legends, but does mention how he heard of each one.  Due to the lack of “authentic” source notes, I cannot be entirely sure that dePaola’s stories accurately reflect the cultures they are derived from.  

The language and plot of each legend is simple and easy to understand.  dePaola does incorporate Spanish into the Legend of the Poinsettia and Italian into the tale, Tony’s Bread.  In both cases, not knowing the words either does not affect the understanding the meaning of the story or, the words are defined.  For example, in Tony’s Bread, Angelo states, “Who is that lovely creature sitting at that window?  Che bella donna!—What a beautiful woman!”  In another example in Legend of the Poinsettia, dePaola ends the legend with this, “And every Christmas to this day, the red stars shine on top of green branches in Mexico.  The people call the plants la Flor de Nochebuena—the Flower of the Holy Night—the poinsettia.”

dePaola has illustrated over 200 children’s book in his career.  In any illustrated book of his that I have read, his style remains relatively constant.  In the first three legends, his style leans towards expressionistic and representational.  The figures lack great detail, but they are drawn proportionately and can be easily identified as being realistic people.  In Tony’s Bread, his style is more that of expressionistic and naïve/folk artbecause the characters tend to lack proportion and are childlike.  I think his style helps remind readers that these legends are fictional.  The characters lack a lot of emotional depth, which prevent readers from connecting with the characters on a deeper level.    He tends to use a wide palette of color and varies between full-bleed illustrations completely saturated in color and framed illustrations surrounded by the white of the page. 

Overall, dePaola’s collection is sure to please any reader.  The legends are interesting and make you think, “Ahh, so that is why the state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet!”  My personal favorite in the collection is Tony’s Bread because it was light and humorous.  Also, my Italian grandmother serves panettone every Christmas, so it was interesting to read the story behind the bread! 

Hansel and Gretel

Retold by Cynthia Rylant

Pictures by Jen Corace

“It has been said that guardian spirits watch over and protect small children, and that may be so. But there are also stories of children who find the courage to protect themselves. Such is the story of Hansel and Gretel.”

Just as in her retelling of Cinderella, Cynthia Rylant again forgoes beginning the traditional tale of Hansel and Gretel
with the words, “Once upon a time…” and instead, pulls us into the story using beautifully-crafted and poetic language that leaves us anxious to turn the page and read her version of the tale we already know.

When the story begins, Hansel and Gretel are free, happy, and unaware of their unforeseeable future. Although the text tells us that their stepmother blames them for the family’s unfortunate circumstances, the illustration shows the children running excitedly towards their home—past their stepmother—looking like they are going to give some flowers that they found to their ill father. It is apparent that although the stepmother is evil, she may not have treated Hansel and Gretel in an obvious evil manner as of yet.

As I turn to the next page, I am immediately distanced from the action as Corace frames the illustration of the evil stepmother convincing the father that the children must go. I feel protected because of the distance, but at the same time—I want to jump in and do something!

Upon hearing the plan, Hansel vowed to protect his sister. “He possessed the courage his father lacked, and would do what was necessary to protect his sister.” As in Rylant’s version of Cinderella, the mention of important character traits is again emphasized in her version of Hansel and Gretel. We learned in Cinderella that the prince had loyalty, integrity, courage, and honor. In this story, we are learning the importance of courage as an important trait to possess.

As the story continues, we learn that courage is not just a trait possessed by males. Gretel shows her courage as she thinks of what her brother has always told her, “Take courage, Gretel,” and was able to show how smart she was as she tricked the witch into climbing into the oven.

Upon their return home, Hansel and Gretel realize their stepmother has died from eating a poisonous mushroom and that their father is happy for their return as he, “…picked them up in his arms and held them and cried a thousand tears for their safe return…and finally, released from her spell, their father, too, had nearly died from the shame of having abandoned his children.”

Rylant ends the book with, “Love would take care of the rest,” instead of the traditional, “They lived happily ever after.” This makes me feel like the story has been brought back to something more realistic. Meaning, challenging things may happen to the family again in the future, but love will help them get through it. I think this is a good message for all.

As I was reading another review of this book, it was pointed out that the illustrations of the people lack pupils. I thought something was different about the illustrations of the characters, but I could not place my finger on what it was until I read this other review. Why did Corace decide to leave out the pupils of the character’s eyes? Expressions of sadness, worry, and evil are clear nevertheless even with the lack of pupils.

Through Cynthia Rylant’s retelling of both Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel, she withstands the integrity of the essential elements of the original tale, but adds a new dimension by emphasizing important values that children, regardless of culture, can relate to and strive to possess.

Walt Disney's Cinderella

Retold by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Mary Blair

“This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love.”

A unique start to a traditional fairy tale—Rylant forgoes the typical, “Once upon a time” introduction and sets the stage for a love story—initially lessening the element of magic and the distance of time.

Throughout the story, Rylant continues to emphasize the concept of love early on expressing that Cinderella, “…wished for one thing only: Love. Every day Cinderella wished for Love.” This was unlike her stepsisters, who only wished for riches. “Love meant nothing, and if Love ever did come to them, it is unlikely they would even have known what it was.”

I wonder why Rylant always capitalized the “L” in “Love?”

From what I can remember of Disney’s version of Cinderella, it is never really explained why one may fall in love with the prince other than for the reason that he is a good looking prince. Being given the name “Charming,” only means that the prince has a talent for getting whatever ladies he would like to have. Rylant helps me to see the prince as someone other than just that by describing him as “…a son with integrity and courage and loyalty and honor. The young prince had every quality anyone could ask of a man who would someday be king.” By describing the prince in this way, Rylant again lessens the element of fairy tale for me and gives me more of a feeling of reality. Prince or no prince, these are important qualities for a man to possess and are a sign that a man will treat a woman the way she should be treated.

The prince, who was never named Charming, was not married because he had not yet fallen in love. He was yearning for something more—just as Cinderella was yearning for something more.

Rylant, retelling the Walt Disney version of Cinderella, did keep the essential elements of the fairy tale—including the Fairy Godmother and her magic. In spite of the unrealistic magic, however, Rylant continued to emphasize the type of magic that is realistic—falling in love. “Who can say by what mystery two people find each other in this great wide world? How does a young man find his maiden? His heart leads him. He finds her in a room. He asks her to dance. And when he touches her, he knows…In silence, Love found them [Cinderella and the prince]”

I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the prince bumped into Cinderella when she was wearing rags. Through the text, it would seem as though he would have found her regardless of her attendance at the ball.

I find it interesting that Rylant chose to end the fairy tale with, “They lived happily ever after,” when she began it in such a non-traditional way. I would have expected her to end the story as she had started it—emphasizing the story of love.

The Fleur de Lis covering the front page and found throughout the illustrations confirm that Walt Disney’s version of Cinderella is based on the story told in France—where the introduction of the glass slippers, mice, and pumpkin became important symbols of this traditional tale that we recognize today.

Many of the illustrations throughout the story reminded me of the images captured in the Disney movie—particularly the scene of the stepmother and sisters practicing their music, the horse-drawn carriage, the castle, and the characters themselves.

Although there were similarities (also noted in copyright specific images that were used from Disney), the illustrations lacked emotional appeal for me. The illustrations, although full-bled, did not enable me to connect with the characters because they were distant and not very detailed. The lines did not seem “clean,” which I believe gave the images more of a cartoon feel. The only face that was drawn with true detail was that of the evil-step-mother, which in my mind did make her stand out. Most illustrations were dark and only used a few colors within the limited color palette.

I find the mesh between the illustrations and the text very interesting because in my opinion, the text seems to take on a more serious tone—emphasizing love—a very real emotion—versus the illustrations that have a more distant and loose feel. On the other hand, perhaps since love is such a subjective and personal thing—maybe Blair chose to illustrate with neutral and blurry images to emphasize that love—is not always something that can be defined in words or pictures and is different for all.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal

A Worldwide Cinderella

Written by Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

C’era una volta…(Italian)

Érase una vez…(Spanish)

Il était une fois…(French)

Es war einmal…(German)

Once upon a time…

Regardless of origin, children around the world recognize these simple words as the beginning of a traditional fairy tale. Language, however, is only one aspect of the diverse cultures and traditions reflected in the innumerable versions of various tales such as Cinderella (or Ashpet, Vasalisa, Sootface, Catskin, or Cendrillon—depending).

The author’s note begins with, “A chameleon changes color to match its surroundings. Stories do the same.” Following this concept, Fleischman and Paschkis incorporate various versions of Cinderella from places like Mexico, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Laos, and China in their tale, Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal. A labeled map of the world, specifically chosen to show these different countries, covers the inside front and back covers of the book and prepares us to embark on our journey around the world where we can listen in to the tale being told.

The book begins with an illustration framed in white of a young girl sitting on the lap of her mother listening to her read the tale of Cinderella. There is a globe on the end table, again giving us the feeling that we are going somewhere—but we are not sure where yet. When we turn the page, we are immediately met with a frame of bright orange and yellow with images meant to reflect the Mexican culture. The text reflects the Mexican version of Cinderella with phrases like, “The woman gave the girl treats when she passed—pan dulce to eat, sugarcane to chew.”

As I continued to read, I noticed that each country was represented with a different color frame. Lime green for Korea, turquoise for Iraq, muted orange for Russia, pink for India, and so on. These colored frames, although also labeled with the name of the country they were representing, helped separate the story so it was recognized when a different culture was introduced. However, the style of the illustrations helped to bring all of the cultures together. For example, there were similar patterns of different shapes that helped the pictures to flow freely together. Interestingly, Paschkis also kept the image of Cinderella generally the same. There was some variation on skin tone and of course, she was dressed to reflect the culture being represented—but her facial features and hair color were very similar in each picture. This made me feel like Cinderella was travelling from place to place throughout the story and becoming part of each tale.

As a reader, I feel it is important to be exposed to many different versions of Cinderella prior to reading this one. In fact, I think it would be interesting to read the full versions of each tale. Although Fleischman did a wonderful job integrating the different tales into one, I think a child might get confused with the changes unless they are already familiar with the story. For example, in the part of the story where Cinderella is transformed from rags into a beautiful garment and shoes, there are several different outfits that Cinderella transforms to. “Then a crocodile swam up to the surface—and in its mouth was a sarong made of gold…a cloak sewn of kingfisher feathers…a kimono red as sunset.” Shortly after, Cinderella shows up at the ball representing Poland. Although the concept is the same around the world—Cinderella dresses to the nines and attends the ball—it could be confusing to make the connections of what is happening if you are not already familiar with the story.

As the story ends, Cinderella is celebrating her marriage to the Prince in several of the cultures represented in the book. They feast on “…mangoes and melons…” from Zimbabwe, “..rice seasoned with almonds…” from India, “…beef stew and lamb stew…” from Ireland, and “…anise cookies and custards…” from Mexico. I wonder if these are traditional celebratory foods for these different countries.

Fleischman concludes the story returning to the white-framed illustration of the little girl and her mother finishing up the story of Cinderella. The globe on the end table looks as though it has spun, showing us that people are still telling the story of Cinderella all around the world.