#158 Dick Bruna's Cinderella (1966)

"She ran so fast that she lost
one of her little yellow shoes."

Once upon a time, "there was a girl called Cinderella. She had long dark hair and pretty green eyes.  But her dress was not pretty at all." It had been, once, but now it was the only one she had, so she wore it every day. It had two patches on it, one green and one red. She had two sisters. "They were very nasty girls.  They never helped with the work in the house." All by herself, Cinderella made the beds, scrubbed the floors, washed the windows, and so many more things. Now, some people would have asked for help. Not Cinderella.  She said to herself,"I'll just leave my sisters alone. If they don't offer to help me, I won't ask them." Then she swept the floor. It happened that the Prince sent a letter. There was going to be a party and "all the girls were invited to come to the palace in their prettiest dresses. " It was very exciting! But not for Cinderella. "She had no pretty dress to wear. It was very sad." Just when she was about to cry, "something wonderful happened....A pigeon came flying in. It was a white pigeon," and it asked her why she was so sad.  Then she told it how much she wanted to go to the party at the palace. "But I have no pretty dress to wear." she explained. "Oh.' said the pigeon. 'Is that all? Then I can help you. I am a magic pigeon, and I shall see that you get your pretty dress. Abracadabra! Now look in the mirror!" So she did, and she saw that her dress had turned the color of sunshine, and her shoes too.  There were three small white buttons down her front, and she had ribbons in her hair. But the pigeon said, "Exactly at twelve o'clock, you will be wearing your old dress again." Cinderella promised to be home before twelve. When she got to the palace, she saw the Prince. "He had a fur collar on his coat and a golden crown on his head." He smiled and asked her to dance. They had so much fun dancing together that they forgot what time it was. Then she heard the clock. One...two...three...The magic would end! four...five...six...She had to get out of there! eight...nine...ten...She ran, but lost one shoe! eleven...twelve! She was outside, in her old, brown dress.  How sad was the Prince! He thought the girl in the yellow dress had liked dancing with him, but then she ran away. But what was that he saw? It was a yellow shoe! He picked it up and said, "I shall go to all the girls of the country and let them try on the shoe. Then I shall find her again." So he went to each house, and asked the girls there to try on the shoe. It did not fit anyone. "At last, the Prince came to the house of Cinderella. ' It will fit me, Prince.' said both of Cinderella's sister's at the same time." But it did not fit either of them. The Prince looked around and saw a girl in a brown dress, with one green patch and one red patch. She was "mending some stockings. 'Ha-ha!' the sisters laughed. 'That beautiful shoe will never fit her." But they were wrong. The shoe did fit Cinderella. The Prince could tell that this was the same girl who had come to his party, even though she was wearing an old dress. He invited her back to the palace, and gave her another yellow dress. It had little white buttons on it, "just like the one she had worn to the party. A few days later, the Prince married Cinderella, and they lived happily ever after."

From Dick Bruna's Cinderella. (1966) Chicago: Follett Publishing Company

Notes: Read more Dick Bruna! Try Miffy or Snuffy or learn more about him:Dick Bruna

Montessori Connection: Fine Arts/Fine Motor Control: Tracing Pictures

1. Read Dick Bruna's Cinderella, or another Dick Bruna book.

2. Choose your favorite picture.

3. Get some tracing paper and and lay it over the picture.

4. Use a pencil and trace around the outlines.

5. Use colored felt-tip markers and color the picture in. You can use whatever colors you want, or you can match the ones in the book.

5. Tape your picture up on a window, and watch the light shine through. 

6. Choose another picture, and do it again!