Product Description

An old favorite--with a new twist. G. Brian Karas' dynamic multimedia illustrations are the perfect complement to this rhyming urban fairy tale. Full-color illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #252117 in Books
• Published on: 1997-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780140561265
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Publishers Weekly
This ultracool version of the fairy tale, set in Manhattan, updates the classic with singular flair. Taking current family trends into account, debut picture-book author Minters casts no aspersions on stepmothers and supplies her heroine with a largely absent mother. Cinder-Elly's elder sisters, on the other hand, dish out a full complement of scorn. There is indeed a ball--basketball--and a godmother provides Elly with a groovy pair of glass high-tops to wear to the big game. Naturally, ace hoop-shooter Prince Charming becomes smitten with Elly, loses track of her when the 10 p.m. witching curfew rolls around, then posts flyers advertising the shoe she leaves behind. Nearly every spread features six four-line stanzas, and rarely do the rhymes miss a beat. Lots of quotes enliven the verse, although it's occasionally hard to identify the speaker. Karas ( Into This Night We Are Rising ) doodles people, city buildings and objects in the margins; the cartoon figures interject lighthearted, childlike comments (after Godma costumes Elly, one of the extras says, "You look great, El!"). Collages, wild patterns and funky fashions mimic music videos and build up the snazzy urban setting. An ideal match of artist and author. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-An annoying hodgepodge of stilted, cloying verse; a modern New York City setting; and traditional elements. But each of those elements is not quite what it should be. The sisters are cruel for no apparent reason (they're not even step-sisters), and Cinder-Elly inexplicably submits to their abuse. There's also a Prince Charming who is a basketball player and a glass sneaker instead of a slipper. The three girls are all invited to one of his games and there's really nothing stopping Cinder-Elly from going-her sisters are walking; so why can't she? Her "Godmother" appears and transforms her clothing into a new outfit, even though she looked just fine before. Prince notices her because she catches a flyaway ball and throws it back to him; he asks her out for a pizza. There are the expected problems with time running out and the search for the owner of the glass sneaker. And yes, "everyone lived/Forever happy." Flat, modern watercolors try their best to add to the hip feeling this story tries to portray, but they are often as cluttered as the text. A jumbled path that leads nowhere.
Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 5-8. "Prince stared at Elly / And said, `Glad to meetcha. / After the game, let's / Go get some pizza.'" This contemporary urban Cinderella lives in New York City with her mean, brash sisters. Her godmother is a plump lady with a shopping cart and a cane, who gives Elly trendy clothes and changes a garbage can into a bike so that Elly can ride to the basketball game. There she meets the star shooter, Prince Charming, and the moment is magic. But she has to be home by 10 p.m. As she rushes away, she loses her glass sneaker . . . The story's told in fast-paced rhyme, fun for reading aloud, and the bright illustrations are like street murals, bold and rhythmic. Some pictures are new wave in style, especially the transformation scenes in which Elly, her godmother, and the prince find magic in the ordinary streets. Older readers and storytellers might like to compare this with Mary Carter Smith's "Cindy Ellie," collected in Best Loved Stories Told at the National Storytelling Festival (1991), in which Cindy Ellie rides to the Baltimore mayor's inauguration ball in a white Cadillac, her hair set in 100 shining braids. Hazel Rochman

Customer Reviews

Modern Twist on an Old Tale
This is a great example of tweeking an old fairytale for today's kids to enjoy. I heard this book read aloud at a literary contest for elementary students and was impressed with the content and readibility. The students in the audience laughed out loud during the reading.

My five year old daughter loves this book!!
My five year old daughter has asked us to read this book to her every day for the last 3 days. It's a great modern version of the old classic with a more with-it cinderella and Prince Charming, done in rhyming verses. The characters are multi-cultural too. My favorite thing about this book as a parent is that it is fun to read out loud, so I don't mind reading it numerous times.

Excellent updated version
This is a wonderful up-to-date, inter-city version of the classic Cinderella. It is written in poetry-style, in a humorous way. The illustrations are done in a rough childlike way. It is very funny and a really fresh view of the classic.