Robin Redbreast

Robin Redbreast
Birds can represent the fluttering, darting thoughts of intuition. This is why little birds helped Cinderella help herself.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Cinderella #140 Cindy Big Hair: A Twisted Cinderella Story


"Who do you think I am?
I'm your Hairy Godmother!"
illustrated by Maxey, D. 

Once upon a time there lived a girl named Cindy Big Hair, who "could never live up to her name." Her heart sure was big, but her hair...not so much.  If only she could win the trophy at the Big Hair Ball that the Queen was having! She thought that she could never win.  Probably her stepsisters would be the winners would be the winners — again.  They had won for the last two years in a row, and when they heard that Cindy wanted to go, they said, "You? At the Big Hair Ball? How hilarious!" Then they ran off, cackling. In the bedroom that they shared, they took turns practicing Big Hair styles. They put signs all over the door that said, "Keep ou!" "Stop!" and "Geniuses at work!" They even had one that said, "That means you, Cindy!", just in case she thought they meant to leave someone else out. As if! They had been mean to her ever since their mom married her dad. So Cindy tried, all by her little lonesome, to do something, anything, with her hair. First she tried a giant double loop, but it was "too numerical".  Then she tried a pair of braids, tied tightly with ribbons. They stuck up behind her ears and were definitely "too Pippi".  In disgust, she twisted it up in a great mass and stabbed it full of combs. The night of the Hair Ball, she thought up a truly "collosal coiffe". As soon as she walked out the door that evening, there was a "SPLASH!!!" It was the automatic sprinklers going on and Cindy and her Kind of Big Hair were soaked. "It was a bad hair day of the worst kind."  As she lay in the wet grass, tears mingling with sprinkler water, she cried out loud. " Oh, how I wish I could have big hair!" She ran into the house for a towel, but just as she grabbed her hairbrush, "the hairspray and glitter flew off." A tiny, sparkly woman fluttered near her face. "Who do you think? I'm your Hairy Godmother! Look kid, you may not have big hair, but you've got a big heart. And only those with the biggest hearts deserve the biggest hair." So she did a little magic and shook a bit of fairy dust, and "POOF! A masterpiece of hair-splitting  proportions was created." And Cindy screeched, 'OMG! It is absolutely perfect!' But the hairy fairy said," Yeah, yeah, now listen up: hair that big needs a lot of magic and it's going to run out. So you must leave the Big Hair Ball by midnight, or it's bye-bye to the big hair." Cindy thanked her and ran off, dreaming of the trophy. And her godmother called after her, "I granted your wish for big hair, kid. Whether or not you win the trophy and have a happy ending is up to you." Well, when she got to the ball, there was high hair, wide hair, voluminous hair, and big, ol' tall hair, everywhere.  But no one had bigger hair than Cindy.  The minute the Queen saw her, she declared her the winner.  Where does the time go when one is having fun? She danced, and laughed, and the evenining seemed to pass in a blink. Just as "Cindy went to accept her trophy, the clock began to strike twelve."  Now the girl faced a terrible dilemma: if she fled, she would not get the prize.  But if she stayed, everyone at the ball would see her hair wilt, and the style fade.  She saw her stepsisters, and remembered how long they had worked on each other's hair, and how much she knew recapturing the trophy meant to them. And all of a sudden, she started laughing! Because now that she could reach out an take first place, she found she did not want it.  After all, her hairdo was nothing more than magic and glitter, and she'd known from the start that her glory would be brief. She whispered to  the Queen, telling her the truth about her magical mousse, and that the prize should go to the next-best do. But just as " Cindy's enormous, luxurious hair began to vanish, the Queen took her hand.  She called out loudly, "Such a big heart for such a little girl.  I once had a Hairy Godmother too.  I hereby declare that your name be changed from Cindy Big Hair to Cindy Big Heart! And from that day on, big hearts were more important than big hair. 
From Auerbach, A. & Maxey, D.Cindy Big Hair: A Twisted, (and teased, and braided) Cinderella Story. (2005) CA: Piggy Toes Press
Note: This book is hilarious, and it is a pop-up. Get it! Cindy Big Hair
Montessori Connection: Personal Appearance/Hair Styles Today or in History
1. Read this book and see how many of Cindy's styles you might try at home!
2. Ask your parents if you and a friend can style - NOT DYE OR CUT!!- each other's hair. Try these books for ideas:Fabulous Hair or Cozy's Complete Guide to Girls' Hair or It's All Good Hair: The Guide to Styling and Grooming Black Children's Hair