Product Description

In this variation on the Cinderella story, based on the Charles Perrault version but set in the Smoky Mountains, Rose loses her glass slipper at a party given by the rich feller on the other side of the creek.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #137608 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780140566734
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4. Schroeder has taken the classic Perrault fairy tale and recast it "smack in the heart o' the Smoky Mountains." He begins his retelling with the directive, "Now lis'en," and continues to relate the familiar events in lilting mountain dialect with plenty of homespun humor. Seb, the love interest here, is a "real rich feller?made his fortune in sowbellies and grits." Rose's transformation takes place through intervention of a kindhearted, articulate hog. The tale concludes, "To this day, Rose and Seb are still livin' there, and folks reckon they're 'bout the happiest twosome in all o' Tarbelly Creek," giving the story a contemporary bent. Everyone knows what's going to happen, but getting there is half the fun. Sneed's slick, stylized watercolors seem at first to be out of sync with the down-home narrative, but it quickly becomes clear that the disparate union is a successful one. 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. An appealing all-American addition to the canon of "Cinderella" variants.?Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7, younger for reading aloud. Putting a down-home and downright enchanting Smoky Mountain spin on Perrault's classic Cinderella tale, Schroeder shows Rose, a trapper's dutiful and loving daughter, at the mercy of her father's "fearsome" second wife and two stepsisters, who are so mean "they'd steal flies from a blind spider." Schroeder's prince is Seb, a "rich feller--made his fortune in sowbellies and grits"; the palace ball is a square dance in Seb's barn; and the fairy godmother is a talking pig. The glass slippers remain: although Rose allows they're not too practical for square dancing, her dainty foot slips easily inside when Seb, searching the countryside for the shoe's owner, has her try it on. 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. From the opening line's enlarged, boldfaced, attention-grabbing "Now lis'en," this spirited rendition begs to be told or read out loud for sheer enjoyment and for enrichment in folklore studies. Ellen Mandel

From Kirkus Reviews
Schroeder's version of this tale is based directly on the familiar 17th-century Perrault tale, but written in an Appalachian dialect and placed ``smack in the heart o' the Smoky Mountains.'' Cinderella--Rose in this tale--is the gentle daughter of a father who dies not long after he remarries. Her stepsisters and stepmother are cut from the usual bitter cloth, but there are some twists: The role of the fairy godmother is played by a huge hog, and the last image is of Rose (still wearing the slippers) and her handsome feller in old age, rocking on their porch swing. The watercolor illustrations owe much to the powerful, elongated figures and skewed perspective of American painter Thomas Hart Benton. The action is often seen up from ground level: an ant's-eye view of the hog, and Rose's glass pumps as a frame for her horse-drawn wagon, are strong and unusual images. A particularly nice touch is that pretty Rose has ordinary brown hair, while her stepsisters, homely though they are, are the more traditionally glamorous blonde and brunette. (Picture book/folklore. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

WONDERFUL REWRITE AND WONDERFUL ART. KIDS LOVE IT!
This is one of my favorites when reading to a group of children. The story on Cinderella is rather timeless, having appeared first several hundred years ago in China. (No folks, it did not actually start with Perrault..sorry). Quite a few cultures have similar stories and there have been many version produced throughout the years. As a matter of fact, over the past twelve years are so, writing updated versions of this tale has become almost a cottage industry for the writers of children's books. This, in my opinion, is one of the best.

The setting of this particular Cinderella is the Smokey Mountain region of the Appalachian Mountains. The time is probably at around the turn of the century, although it is difficult to tell. The story follows the original tale pretty well, although there are some wonderful changes the writer and artist have made. Characters such as a "pig that knew some magic" in place of a Good Fairy, is an absolute delight.We of course know the end of the story, but that does not matter. Getting there is 90 percent of the fun. Now I will warn you, before you read this one to the kids, be sure you brush up on your Southern Appalachian dialect, as the entire charm of the story rests on this. To be quite frank, the kids will be delighted and so will you. Now before some of you go off the deep end, as one reviewer did here, and start yelling "stereotyping" and accusing the authors of "putting down" a group of people, travel through this geographical region. Better yet, talk to people who have traveled there fifty years or more ago. There is nothing wrong with the use of this dialect. It is simply the way a certain group of people spoke at a certain period in our time. I would suspect that most people who are really from this area of the country i.e. the Appalachians, are rather proud of their particular dialect, much as we are here is Southern Missouri, and that most of they are saddened to see it quickly becoming lost. It is a very deep part of our heritage. The author has done a very nice job of helping preserve this rich speaking tradition and we should be grateful for that.

As to the art work...I strongly suspect that the artist has been strongly influenced by Thomas Hart Benton. This, for me anyway, is a good thing, as Benton is one of my favorite American Artists. The Artist, Brad Sneed has captured the mood of the story perfectly with his rawboned, angular figures. I could set and look at these pictures for hours, and to be honest, would love to be able to afford an original to hang in my house. The paintings go perfectly with the story, same mood and same effortless flow. I love it.

Overall, if you want a great read for the kids, can stand looking at some great art while you are reading, then I highly recommend this work. It has been around a few years, and lets hope it stays for quite a few more.

Think Twice
This book is a mockery of Southern Appalachian people. Not only is the dialect incorrectly conveyed, but the pictures are demeaning as well. Mr. Schroeder, a native Californian, obviously made little (if any) attempt to get to know the group about whom he writes.

Down Right Purdy!
I thought this was a beautiful Americanized version of Perrault's "Cendrillon". Unlike another reveiwer, I was not at all offended and thought this was a charming tale. The author's interpretation of a down-home style Cinderella story was right on target. I loved the idea of the hog replacing a fairy god mother! A fun read!