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| Illustration by Savanna Choate |
Once upon a time, "in a faraway land called Hawaii lived a girl named Cinderella and her father. The girl's mom had past away and her father had remarried to a widow and her 3 daughters, Rubella, Sydney, and Clair." Soon, poor Cinderella was enslaved by her stepfamily, although Clair "was a baby and didn't understand" what was going on. It happened one day that Cinderella "was to check the mail. Inside was an invitation." It read: Come one, come all to the princes ball Everyone in Hawaii is to come." And when Cinderella asked if she could go too, her sisters jeered at her. Then her stepmother ordered her to make them each a new ball dress. "I want mine violet, Rubella's red, Sydney's orange, and Clair's pink." So Cinderella sewed and sewed until they were done. She gave her stepsisters and stepmom their dresses. They put them on and went to the ball, leaving poor, sad, Cinderella behind. But as she walked home "she heard something in the bushes. She walked closer and closer and then a short, chubby girl shot out of the bushes. 'Hello. I am your fairy hula girl, and I am going to grant your wish. First, get me a pineapple." Then the fairy called for six butterflies, a bird. With a wave of her wand, the pineapple turned into a carriage, the butterflies into horses, and the bird into a fine coachman. Then the fairy said,"Now close your eyes. ZAP! Now open." And when Cinderella opened her eyes "she was wearing a blue spaghetti strap dress and gold sandals. 'Now be back by 12:00 or my powers will fade away." Once she got to the ball, the prince danced only with her. They had a marvelous time, right up until "11:59. 'Oh no! I have to go!" yelled Cinderella as she ran away. That's when she tripped and lost one of her golden sandals. Two weeks later, she got an unexpected home visit from the prince. He said, "The girl of my dreams lost her shoe. I've checked every house, yours is the last house. Someone in here must fit it." Rubella's foot was too big, Sydney's too small. And Clair was still a baby. When Cinderella finally got her chance, "it fit perfectly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the other sandal." When the prince asked if she would marry him, she said, "You don't care that I'm ugly." And the prince replied, "I may only be able to see you outside but I can tell your heart is the most beautiful thing on earth.' And they lived happily every after."
From Cinderella and the Golden Sandal, written by L♥ly Alicea and Illustrated by Savanna Choate. Pawsome Author Books.
Notes: This story came to me through the miracle of the Link+ system. I did a keyword search and came up with this delightful, kid-written Cinderella story. The Hawaiian theme, complete with pineapple coach and butterfly horses is so great. What attention to detail they show in their story line and drawings.
Montessori Elementary Connection: Language/Writing Fiction/Write Your Own Cinderella story.
1. Read this story and know that two girls, ages approximately nine years old wrote and illustrated it.
2. Go to the library and choose three Cinderella stories.
3. Read them and compare the helper animals, kind of transportation, and style of shoes.
4. Now make some changes, and write your own story!
