Cinderella #280: My First Fairy Tales Storybook with CD

Cinderella #280: My First Fairy Tales Storybook with CD

Illustration by Blundell, K. 

Once upon a time, "there was a pretty girl called Cinderella. She lived with her stepmother and two ugly stepsisters." Of course, since Cinderella was more beautiful than any of them, and kind as well, they did not like her. They made her do all of the work, scrubbing the floor and tending the fire. One exciting day, there came an invitation from the Prince.  "There was to be a ball. Every girl in the land could go." But that's not what Cinderella's stepsisters told her. They said that since her clothes were so raggedy they would not let her go. Still, she helped her sisters get ready to go. She really did her best with the hairbrush and a bit of make-up, but "it was no good". She couldn't make her sisters look pretty because "they were just too ugly".  After they had gone off and left Cinderella home crying, something happened! There was a voice, saying, "Don't cry." It turned out to be Cinderella's fairy godmother, who promised that she could go the ball. First, she needed "a pumpkin...six white mice", two rats, "and a frog". So Cinderella went to the garden and got them. Then "the fairy godmother waved her magic wand.  The pumpkin turned into a coach.  The mice turned into horses.  The two rats turned into footmen. The frog turned into a driver." And the fairy changed Cinderella's dress into a fancy gown.   Then she said, "Be home before midnight.  The magic ends at midnight." And Cinderella promised to be home before midnight. When she got to the ball ,the prince said to her," Please dance with me." So she did. She looked so beautiful that even her own stepsisters did not recognize her. Then the clock struck  the first of twelve BONGS! Then Cinderella ran and ran. "She lost her shoe. The prince picked it up. The coach turned back into a pumpkin." The gown turned into an old dress again, and the frog hopped away.  Then the Prince said that "every girl in the land" must try on the shoe he had found. Cinderella's stepsisters tried to get the shoe onto their feet, but it did not fit. "At last, Cinderella tried on the shoe. It did fit!" Then Cinderella and the prince were married, and they lived happily ever after. 

From: Cinderella Parragon, UK (2009) retold by Golstock, G. and illustrated by Blundell, K. Language consultant: Betty Root

Notes: This is another one of those books that I might have dismissed as too cutesy. But I read it, and saw immediately the care taken in putting together a true "easy-reader". This is a great choice for children who are just able to read; the dialogue balloons in the pictures make for fun reading. 

Cinderella #279: Den Hvide Hund, El Puti Gryde (The White Dog, or Put Into Pot)

That bad dog! 

Cinderella #279: Den Hvide Hund, El Puti Gryde (The White Dog, or Put Into Pot)

Once upon a time, in Jutland, there lived "a widower with one daughter." He "marries a widow with one daughter" with predictable results. That is, the girls do not get along, and the stepmother soon takes her own daughter's side. Before long, the daughter of the gentleman is doing "all the dirty, menial work". Worse, she is not allowed to attend church . One Sunday, home alone and feeling desperate, she gives in to despair, and begins to cry. That is when "a little dog appears, gives her fine clothes and offers to do her work if she will promise to give him the first two boys she shall bear." It is a hard bargain but she agrees. Then she changes clothes and hies herself to church. After the ceremony, she leaves but "a young man follows her and snatches away her kerchief."  The dog gives her a new one, however, so all is well. The second Sunday, the girl again receives fine clothes from the dog, as well as "a gold apple". Once more the young man follows her, this time snatching the apple from her hands. On the third Sunday, trying to flee from the greedy young man, "she loses her golden shoe".  This is why it happens that a young gentleman soon comes calling to every household, enquiring after a girl who'd been to church in golden shoes and left one behind. When he gets to the widower's house, the Stepsister "cuts her heel and toe to put on the shoe, but fails to produce its fellow." Now the other girl puts out her foot, and the golden shoe fits! She shows the other shoe, and the young man gives her back her kerchief and her apple. They are married amidst rejoicing. Within a year a boy is born, and the second year brings another healthy male child. Now the woman "weeps at [the] thought of losing them." And then a beggar woman comes by, and tells the gentlewoman of a strange sight she has seen. That is "three small boys coming out of a barrow".  As they emerged from the mound, one said to his brothers, "Tomorrow we shall be five, for Father will get the two newborn babes that were promised him." Unless, however, the mother of those boys should chance to say to the bad man, "Shame on you, you red Put Into Pot!". So of course, when the bad dog, who is really the bad man, comes for the boys, the gentlewoman says those very words. That is when she sees the effect on the little white dog, who "instantly flies into flints and potsherds". Then the mother of the little ones, and her good husband take in the old woman who has warned them, and "the beggar lives with them in happiness."

From: Cox, M. R. (1893/2011) p. 233 

Notes: Interesting that in this very different Cinderella story we still have, at the heart of it, something of a fairy godmother. The old beggar who brings the secret fills the very same role as that of the old woman at the well, or a an actual fairy. Dogs in Cinderella stories are unsusual; ironically, it is Disney that seems to have introduced this particular animal helper. Why? Perhaps dogs seemed more appropriate as modern helpers? Yet here we have a bad dog! Woof woof! 

Cinderella #278 Aiko's Cinderella

Cinderella #278 Oh this one is a cutie! I love the close adherence to the Perrault story, and the "little glass slipper" takes the cake! Did it inspire the video?

Cinderella #277: A Cinderella Story (Based on the Hit Movie Starring Hilary Duff!)

Cinderella #277: A Cinderella Story (Based on the Hit Movie Starring Hilary Duff!)

Lilacs at Descanso Garden,
Pasadena, CA

Once upon a time, in L.A., there lived "a beautiful little girl, and her widowed father." Her name was Sam, and she grew up feeling like part of the greatest team around, just her and her dad. He "owned Hal's Diner, the coziest, tastiest restaurant in the valley. " (San Fernando, that is.) Life was going great right up until Sam's 8^th birthday. That's when two things happened at once: she made a birthday wish that "her life would stay exactly as it was", and her new stepmother barged into her life. Sam didn't know it that night, as her dad met the woman, but she would soon discover that Fiona (for that was the lady's name) had two dreadful daughters.  Twins! From her fifth marriage. Their names were Brianna and Gabriella, and "they hardly qualified as human" as far as Sam was concerned.  That's how bad they were.  Her perfect life with her dad was over. She drudged on as best she could in her odd new life. One of her stepmother's first decisions was that Sam should stay home from school every day and work in the diner. They could save money, that way, she said. And her dad agreed. It was true that Sam loved the diner, but she did miss school. The years passed, and then, one day, tragedy struck. Sam's dad died, and she "was on her own with her stepfamily, working in her dad's old diner to earn her keep." Her only friend was  a guy named Carter. By the time she old enough to attend North Valley High School, they were buddies. And when they were both seniors, they went as friends to the Valley Royale Hotel, for a very special dance. "A panel of ...esteemed teachers" were going to choose "a Prince and Princess of the Dance". To find out whether Sam was chosen as Princess, and who the hunky Austin really was, you will have to find this book and read it! 

From: A Cinderella Story (2004) Adapted by Lasserman, R. from a screenplay by Dunlap, L.

New York: Scholastic 

Cinderella #276: According to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales

Cinderella #276: According to The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales

Oops! He's chopped off her head.
Illustration by Roald Dahl

One upon a time, there lived a man named Jack Zipes.  He spent many years translating and researching fairy tales, including those from Jacob and Willlhelm Grimm.  He also edited an authoritative tome on them.  Here is what he has to say about Cinderella. The story "belongs to a group of tales that have enjoyed both temporal and spacial stability." There are written versions from Europe dating back to 1558, (Bonaventure des Périeres; 1634,(Basile); and 1697, (Perrault). It was in 1812 that the Grimm Brothers published their first collection of tales. Zipes goes on to say,"The story of this persecuted heroine is easily segmented: girl's mother dies, father remarries and brings to household new daughters; stepmother and stepsisters mistreat her; father is either indifferent or malevolent." In fact, says Mr. Zipes, Cinderella's father "threatens death in Cap O'Rushes,and importunes her sexually in Catskin...she must live and work among the ashes on the hearth...Cinderella is aided by a magical helper (fairy godmother, magical bird, magic tree, enchanted cow, enchanted fish)." Zipes says that versions in which Cinderella goes to a ball three nights in a row are "obeying 'Olrick's law of repetition of three'...The shoe  test that proves her identity has fuelled an academic debate as to the material of the lost slipper. (glass, fur, gold, embroidered silk). However, the test itself matters more than the material details." Of the thousands of modern riffs on this classic story, Zipes believes contemporary authors "have explored the complex of the fictional Cinderella in ways that would astound the classical writers of this tale."

From: Zipes, J. (2000) The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales (p.91)

Cinderella #275: The She Bear (Basile)

Cinderella #275: The She Bear (Basile)

Who wears short-shorts?
SHE wears short-shorts!

Once upon a time,there lived "a king of Roughrock, whose wife, dying in her prime", begs her husband never to marry again. He agrees not to, but she is not satisfied, and insists that she "will pursue him, even into the next world", to avenge him if he betrays her. He swears that he won't, and she dies. But before long he is preoccupied with contemplating his future life "with his only daughter, and the need of an heir for the throne", and breaks his promise.  He proclaims that "all the women in the world are to assemble for the beauty test". He plans to select a second wife from among them. Yet when he has seen the lot of them, and fault with each and every one, he remembers one last young woman who did not answer his summons. That is his own daughter, Preciosa, and he now summons her. Telling her of his intent to marry her, and finding her repelled by the very idea, he bellows with rage at the girl. She flees.  On her way back to her chambers, she encounters an old woman.  It is a lady she knows from past alms she has given, and now the old one offers to help. She gives the girl "a little chip, which she is to put into her mouth, and it will instantly turn her into a bear.  Then she is to rush away into the forest, for her father will not try to detain her."  When she wants to revert to human form, says the old lady, she has only to take the chip out of her mouth. The princess thanks her by giving her "bread and meat", and she will be a woman once more. So the next night, when her father surprises her at a ball by announcing to all that he is going to marry her, she pops the chip in, and POOF! She is a bear! The king is "so much alarmed that he hides under the clothes and dares not look out until morning. Meanwhile, his hirsute daughter has really gone wild: she is living as a bear in the woods. And it happens that, one day "the king of Swiftwater rides by," and is horrified to spy the wild bear. But when he slows his horse, the bear approaches him as a dog would, and begs to be petted.  So he leads it back to his palace, and arranges to have the bear housed in his private garden. So it is that, one day, his son, the prince, looks out the window and sees the bear. But she is in human form, having taken the chip out of her mouth. She is "combing her golden locks" and the king is instantly smitten. But then she puts the chip back in, and becomes a bear again. And he cries out in despair, and the Queen, believing the beat to be attacking her son, orders the servants to try to kill it. One servant takes pity on the bear, and volunteers to lead it to its death.  Then he secretly sets it free in the forest. Meanwhile the prince has fallen ill. Nothing, it seems will restore his health, and his mother begs him to tell her what she can do. That is when he demands the company of the bear. The Queen "thinks he has lost his reason" and sends for the animal, just to coddle him. And when the bear arrives, she immediately "feels his pulse with her paw", which the Queen finds hilarious. Then the prince says, "Won't you cook for me, feed me, and tend me, Little Bear?" She nods, yes. Then she cooks "some fowl" and feeds it to him. Gradually, he regains his strength. There comes a day when he can sit up. That is when he tells his mother of his love for the bear.  He insists that he can never recover fully unless he kisses the bear. His mother, seeing few options, agrees. And when the bear and the prince do kiss, the chip once again falls out, and the bear reverts to human form. Of course the Queen is delighted at this turn of events, and encourages the young lady to tell her story, and is "delighted" for the maiden to marry her son. 

From: Cox, M.R (1893/2011 p. 161

Notes: I really love this story for its uniqueness, in that the girl actually turns into a bear! Bears are not sexy, passive animals. They are powerful, and primal as well. Images of Little Bear, (who made Birthday Soup for himself and his friends, because he though that his Mother Bear had forgotten his birthday), and Sis from the Berenstein Bears fill my mind. Maybe Frances, the Badger is a comparison? You gotta respect a prince who is not afraid of a little body hair! 

Cinderella #274 The Bejeweled Boot (Calvino)

Cinderella #274 The Bejeweled Boot (Calvino)

Once again, a bejeweled shoe
plays a critical role...

Once upon a time, in Palermo, Italy, "the son of a merchant became an orphan at an early age, along with his sister, who was the apple of her brother's eye." As brother and sister grew and became educated, he gained notoriety as a scribe. In fact, "the King of Spain, who was best friends with the King of Portugal, noticed the marvelous handwriting of his friends' secretary.  Then he he asked his friend if he might have the secretary for himself. The King of Portugal, for oath of friendship, had no choice but to agree. So he sent the Don Guiseppe to Spain, forcing him to leave his sister behind.  He told her that she would reside "with our maidservant", and that, "So we won't feel so far apart . let's have our portraits painted.  I'll take yours with me, and you'll keep mine here with you." And that's exactly what they did. But when the brother got to the Spanish court, and the other courtiers saw that he was as handsome as his own script, they were jealous. So one night, when Don Guiseppe  took out the portrait of his sister, gazed upon it and kissed it, the squire "glanced over...and snorted,'What? This woman? I have had dealings with the same." Horrified, Don Guiseppe demanded proof. Then the king stepped in saying, "If it is true, Squire, that you have had to do with Don Guiseppe's sister, then you have one month to bring in proof of it." If he didn't, he would be beheaded.  But how could he gain proof of a lie? As the month wore on, he began to despair. One day, as he bemoaned his fate, "an old woman approached him, saying,'Pleae give me something, kind sir, I'm starving." And the squire responded by saying, "Off with you, cursed hag!" But when she promised to help him gain his desire, he relented. Then they made a plan. The squire showed her the house where the sister lived, and later that night, "The old woman leaned against the door  shivering with cold and weeping pitifully." Of course, the kind  sister let her in, and gave her a place before the fire. But  the sly old thing "took in everything, noting in which room the mistress slept". After the young lady was asleep, the old granny snuck quietly into that chamber. then she "lifted the covers, and gazed at the maiden from head to foot." That's when she noticed "three little hairs that were like three golden threads" protruding from the girl's shoulder. So she clipped them off, wrapped them in her hankie, and fled.  She gave those hairs to the squire, and "the next day the squire sailed back to Spain". The result was that Don Guiseppe was thrown in jail, kept on a diet of "one slice of bread and one glass of water daily". However Don Guiseppe befriended the jailer, and beseeched him to get a letter to his sister. The man agreed, and "took the letter and posted it". When the maiden got the letter, she was aghast. Then she "sold all their possessions and property and with the proceeds, bought as many fine jewels as she could." These she took to "a skillful goldsmith, and said,'Make me a beautiful boot set with all my jewels." Then she got herself a fine gown of black silk, and sailed for Spain. She got to court just as her brother was being led to the gallows. She ran forward shouting, "Have mercy, Your Majesty, have mercy!" So the king stopped the executioner's hand. That is when she told him that his royal squire, "after enjoying my person, stole my boot that formed a pair with this one". The king "was dumbfounded" and looked at the squire. And "the squire fell into the trap.  He replied, 'Majesty, I never saw this lady before." And the lady cried, "Be careful what you say!" That is when she revealed herself as the sister of Don Guiseppe...and showed that the squire was a liar. So the king shouted, "Off with his head!" and it was chopped off. Then "the king returned to the palace with the brother and the sister and, seeing how beautiful and virtuous she was, he asked her to marry him. 

THEY WERE AS HAPPY AS HAPPY COULD BE, WHILE HERE WE SIT, PICKING OUR TEETH."

Notes: I love the jeweled boot...this is such an interesting thing, that she had one very special boot made, and then accused the squire of theft... Also the cutting of the hairs. Wow. Girl power? Kind of. Let's keep it legal, ladies. 

Cinderella #273 Thoughts from Glenna Sloan

Cinderella #273 Thoughts from Glenna Sloan 

A pumpkin flower. September, 2011

 Once upon a time, there was a professor of Early Childhood Education. She thought, and researched, and wrote a lot about how children learn.  She especially investigated how they learn to read. One of her most famous books is The Child as Critic: Developing Literacy Through Literature K-8. This is what she says about Cinderella: "With guidance in developing critical literacy, students who have encountered the genuine form of the myth in literature will be less likely to fall prey to its perverted form in the advertisement.  They will know as questioning, critical readers that an advertisement showing the plain, unpopular girl suddenly made beautiful by use of the right face cream is nothing more than a version of the Cinderella story."  (p.14) She also said,"The old tale of Cinderella is a prime example of the comic structure, its pattern ending in displacements old and new and yet to come. It exemplifies comedy in the phase closest to romance, for it involves magical manifestations and metamorphoses.  The worthy Cinderella endures against impossible odds...the character of Cinderella is the embodiment of wish fulfillment: Virtue and goodness are rewarded; things turn out "as they should". (88) She concludes that early exposure to fairy tales helps children with later literary analysis, describing a "reading of Higgledy-Piggledy Pop!" by Maurice Sendak. She transcribes one students analysis of it: "Well, that makes it like folk-tales.  Lots of times the stuff in them couldn't really happen.  Things change shape, just like they do here. In Cinderella, the pumpkin turns into a coach, and mice into horses. Here, Baby turns into Mother Goose." (p.169)

From: Sloan, G. (2003)The Child as Critic: Developing Literacy Through Literature K-8. Teacher's College, Columbia

Cinderella #272: An Interpretation by Bruno Bettelheim

Cinderella #272:  An Interpretation by Bruno Bettelheim

Illustration by
Marguerite Di Angeli

Once upon a time, there lived a man who studied fairy tales. He wrote many books, and one of them was called The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. Here is what he has to say about Cinderella: "Most children are delighted to act out Cinderella in dramatic form, but only after the fairy tale has become part of their imaginary world, including especially, its happy ending to the situation of intense sibling rivalry...(p.55).  He also said,"In many other Cinderella stories, the helpful animal also nourishes the heroine.  For instance, in an Egyptian Cinderella, a stepmother and stepsisters mistreat two children, who beg, "O cow, be kind to us, as our mother was kind to us." And finally: " The stories where the stepmother kills the helpful animal but does not succeed in depriving Cinderella of what gives her  inner strength indicate that for our managing or coping with life, what exists in reality is less important than what goes on in our mind. What makes life bearable, even in the worst circumstances, is the image of the good mother which we have internalized, so the the disappearance of the external symbol does not matter." (p. 258)

From: Bettelheim, B. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. (1977) New York: Alfred A. Knopff  

Notes: Who is your internalized "good mother"? Is it Mother Mary? Mother Goose? Perhaps Berehinia, "protector of women"? Mine is Mrs. Santa Claus!

Cinderella #271 Cinderella Smith (Barden, S.2011)

Cinderella #271 Cinderella Smith (Barden, S.2011)

These are not the kind of
stepsisters that Cinderella Smith has!
Illustration from The Wonder Story Book,
1938

Once upon a time, in Seattle, there lived a girl who was called Cinderella. She lived with her mom, who was "just a regular kind of mom, who is usually nice but kind of strict." The reason she earned her nickname was not "from sleeping by an ashy fireplace in the kitchen, like that other Cinderella", but because of a bad habit, which was losing her shoes. She tells us how she tried to solve this problem: "I had a big AHA! Which means a very, extremely good idea...I pulled out all my shoes and wrote on their bottoms: If found, please return to Cinderella Smith, 410 Blackberry Lane, Seattle, Washington 98105." In fifteen short chapters, each named after a significant pair of shoes, we walk in the footsteps of Cinderella Smith. Jogging alongside are the new girl, Erin; the nice neighbor boy, Charlie; and "the two Rosemary's". They think they are all that and a bag of chips, but actually, they are just a pair of gossiping, mean-spirited girls. In Chapter 5: High-heeled Shoes with Curlicue Toes,  Erin asks for Cinderella's help in figuring out whether her new stepsisters are the wicked kind. Cinderella begins researching the definition of "wicked" by reading her family's Big Book of Fairy Tales, and compiling questions, such as "Do they have big feet?". Then she categorizes her evidence into three categories: For-Sure Wicked, Possibly Wicked and Not Wicked. As the school days go by, the girls' dance class begins rehearsals for the Dance of the Pumpkin Fairy. Cinderella's rivalry with the two Rosemary's heightens. In Chapter 9: Thumbtakced Sneaker, the plot thickens when Cinderella loses one of her beautiful new "shiny, ruby red tap shoes". It is not until after Cinderella goes on to lose a wooden clog and discovers a four legged shoe thief that she finds her tap shoe. By Chapter 12: Big, Old, Brown Ratty Tap Shoes Cinderella has become such good friends with Erin that one day, an invitation arrives for her. "The envelope was really big and thick...Inside the first envelope was another envelope, which was sort of weird". It was an invitation to the wedding of Erin's mom and the father of the new step-daughters! In Chapter 14: Wedges, the grand event takes place. Sleuthing out the yet-to-be-introduced step-sisters, Cinderella and Erin spy "two girls who were just sitting there, sort of looking bored." This, in the middle of a kitchen bustling with caterers, florists, and designers. They had to be the stepsisters! But when Cinderella and Erin confront them, they get a surprise. "We're the caterer's daughters.' One said. 'We're just waiting for her to take us home. " Embarrassed, the girls retreat, and continue observing. That is when they discover that "the box unpacker" and "that girl washing dishes" are Erin's new stepsisters. This evidence is duly noted: They are "not lazy". Chapter 15: Ballet Slippers, features dance teacher Miss Akiyama selecting Cinderella for the role of the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy. Halloween comes and goes, the dance show proceeds, and the wedding takes place. At the story's end, Charlie and the champion basketball team converge with Cinderella, Erin, and the two Rosemary's at the ice cream shop. Over chocolate mint-chip, feelings are smoothed and the friends look forward to another school year. 

From: Cinderella Smith. (Barden, S. & Goode, D.,2011) New York: HarperCollins Children's Books

Notes: I love the feeling of time and place in reading this book. The feel of rainy Seattle, the familiar emotions of kids starting a new school year, the reds and rusts and browns evoked in the Dance of the Pumpkin Blossom. But I have research to do. I bought this book via Better World Books, and it is labeled as withdrawn from the Howard County, MD library. It bears stickers labeling it as "NEW", a barcode tag hand-scribbled over with a pen, and an ominous little three-word tag on the back. CEN, it says. Surely not censored? Because of Halloween? Of second marriages? Disapproval of fairy tales? Who knows? I aim to find out. 

Cinderella Kids Cinderella #270

Cinderella #270 Kids' Play

Cinderella #269 Kragerunpels (Crow-skin Gown)

Cinderella #269 Kragerunpels (Crow-skin Gown)

If Cinderella had worn
this style of shoe, the prince
would not so easily have
grabbed one! 

Once upon a time, "the King of England's son wooed the beautiful daughter of the King of Denmark, but he is not allowed to wed her." So this beautiful princess "goes to her mother's grave" and asks advice at the lonely grave. The mother's spirit communicates to her that the girl muse demand that her father give her "a gown of gold brocade, one of silver brocade, and a crow-skin gown." Then, when she has these three gowns in hand, she should call for her carriage. She must chant"Light before me, dark behind me! None shall see whither I speed!" This is how she travels to England, without anyone knowing where she has gone. When she has crossed the border, she "leaves the carriage in the town, and, dressed in the crow-skin gown," looks for work there. She finds a position in the scullery of the castle. Soon it is Sunday, and she asks permission to go to church. It is granted, and she secretly changes into her gown of gold brocade. The next Sunday, she goes again, dressed in silver. In fact, "thrice she goes to church" and each time, the prince of England chances to sit next to her. On the second Sunday, he manages to snatch "half her finger ring" before she flees. On the third, it is one of her shoes that he snatches. Some time passes, in which the prince of England searches for the princess of Denmark. At last, something happens. Still dressed as a scullery maid, the princess finds an errand that takes her to the prince's table. Carrying the remaining bit of finger ring, one half of which the prince now possesses,"the other half she throws anon into his cup, and makes her self known to him." They rejoice at finding one another, and are married at once. 

From: Cox, M.R. (1893/2011) p. 238

Notes: This is yet another Marian Roalfe Cox story; once more it is a boiled down tale: the mother's grave, the strangely made cloak, the menial labor, and the lost shoe. Yet here are also a broken ring, silver and gold, and a church, rather than a ball, setting. Is the father "unnatural"? as Cox would say? We don't know. 

Cinderella #268 Zoo Geren as Zout (As Much As Salt)

Cinderella #268 Zoo Geren  as Zout (As Much As Salt)

Are you hungry enough
to eat a pigeon — without salt?

Once upon a time, in Germany, there lived "a King, who asked his three daughters how glad they are to see him." The oldest said, "As glad as the sun." The second answered, "I like you as the light of my eyes." It was the youngest who replied that she liked him as much as salt. At that, the King said that she ought "to be ashamed of herself for not liking him better than salt, which is nearly valueless."Then he throws her out of the house. She goes away for a time, and makes a plan. She decides that when festival time comes, she will trick her father and teach him a lesson. So when the festival is under way, she dresses up as a page and goes to the castle. There she creeps into the kitchen, and greets her old friend, Cook. Sharing her plan with the kind old lady goes exactly as planned, and, when the King is served his supper that night he gets a surprise. The festival celebration means that the very best of everything is on display, and his majesty has expected that the food will be spectacular. Instead, "all the dishes — soup, meat, venison — are so unappetizing that he refuses them all. He calls for Cook, who comes in shaking with fear. That's when the page jumps up and says to the King, "It was by my order, your majesty, that no salt was put in the dishes.." Now the King demands to know just who this insolent page is. That is when she pulls off her disguise, and the King realizes that it is his youngest child. He must choose between admitting that he has made a mistake,( in which case the Cook will salt his meat) and forgiving his daughter, or insisting still that salt has no value, (in which case he must eat a tasteless meal). He wisely forgives his daughter. The food is salted, and they live happily after that. 

From Cox, M. R. (1893/2011) p. 416

Notes: This story shows a sweet variant (I think so, anyway) in which there is no prince or romantic love. The girl wants only the love of her father,and when she gets this back, it is enough to make her live happily ever after. 

Cinderella #267: J.Sainsbury's Pure Tea Picture Book (Dover)

Cinderella #267: J.Sainsbury's Pure Tea Picture Book (Dover)

Doves flew in through the kitchen window. 

Once upon a time, there was a businessman who's first wife had died. The one he had taken in her place was "an unpleasant and proud woman". Both of her daughters were of the same disposition. Within days after the wedding, the woman ceased any kindness towards her stepdaughter. The girl was forced "to do all the dirty and menial chores around the house." Her only bed was a pile of straw, while her stepsisters slept on silk cushions. She was sustained in her hardships by "the doves that came in through the kitchen window" and kept her company. At each day's end, she slumped amongst the cinders from exhaustion. That is how her stepsisters got the idea to call her Cinderella. It happened one day that "the King's son gave a ball — but Cinderella was not allowed to go." At least, that's what her stepmother said. But when Cinderella was left alone, and sat down to cry, she heard a voice. It was her fairy godmother, who "asked her if she, too, would like to go to the ball." Of course she would! So the fairy "magically produced a beautiful dress and glass slippers for her". Then she transformed "a pumpkin, six  mice, and a rat into a fine coach", pulled by six mouse-gray horses, and driven by a ratty, if natty, looking coachman. Now the fairy godmother "made Cinderella promise that she would return home from the ball before midnight." The consequences for ignoring this warning would be that "she would be changed back into raggedy old Cinderella right then and there", and the coach would once more be a pumpkin. Her horses would revert to being mice, and the coachman would grow a fine, long tail. When she got to the ball, the King's son "went to greet her, offered her his arm and led her into the great hall." They danced all evening, but then the beautiful girl ran away. The next night there was to be another ball, and Cinderella begged permission to attend that one as well. So the next evening she went, and this time, "she completely lost track of time." In her desperation to flee, she slipped and lost one of her lovely little slippers. Finding it later, the prince vowed to follow its owner. The next day, "he announced that he would marry the lady whom the slipper fitted." Soon, he came to the home of Cinderella. Of course her stepsisters tried it on first, and of course, it did not fit them. That's when Cinderella pulled out the other slipper, and put it on. All of a sudden, "her godmother appeared, and, waving her wand, changed Cinderella back into a beautiful princess." She and the prince were soon married, "and they had a very happy life together."

From: Cinderella: A Full Color Picture Book. (J.Sainsbury's Pure Tea/Dover, 1993)

Cinderella #266 Cinderella Ate Her Mother! or La Cuzza Tzenere (The Ash Girl of the Dog Kennel)

Cinderella #266 Cinderella Ate Her Mother! 

 La Cuzza Tzenere (The Ash Girl of the Dog Kennel)

Cinderella ATE her MOTHER!

Note: Contains violence. Once upon a time, there was a woman with three daughters. Though all three were employed, they could not earn enough between them for their own keep. One day, as they sat together spinning, they "determined that the one who drops her spindle three times shall be killed and eaten by the others."But when the eldest sister commands the youngest to do the bloody deed, thrusting an axe into her hands, the girl refuses. When another of her sisters runs "to fetch the hatchet", the girl snatches a moment with her mother, telling her that, no matter what, she won't eat her. The mother then gives her child a wand of ash wood, and tells her to "collect her bones when [her] sisters have killed and eaten her." Mama explains that the bones can grant her wishes if she is in sore need. So, when the mother is slain, and the elder sisters begin to munch upon her, the youngest child sits, hungry but not eating, under the table. As her sisters tossed the bones down to the floor, she gathered them together. Within a week, Mama had been eaten all up, and the girl had a compete skeleton. She now buried this under the hearth.  Soon "it is carnival time" and the older sisters are getting ready for the ball. They each give their little sisters "3 measures of millet" to be ground by the time they get back  "or they will beat her". After they leave, the girl remembers the bones and wand. She taps the hearth three times and "hears a voice asking what it is she wants". She explains about the millet and there appears "a crowd of birds, which undertake to perform [the] task". Then she washes and dresses, and wishes for "a dress and shoes to match". They are given to her. When she gets downstairs, there is an elegant coach awaiting her. She goes to the ball, and, when the prince see her, will dance with no other. Just as the music ends, the girl hurries home. Changing clothes quickly, she is asleep among the cinders when her sisters get home. The next day, each sister orders her to grind "four measures of corn" before they return from the party. This time, their little sister is aided by a flock of chickens, courtesy of their dead mother's bones. Again she goes to the ball, and again, the king's son is smitten by her. Yet she runs away once more, just as the music ends. When the royal servants try  to follow the coach,she turns and throws "a handful of gold to detain pursuers". On the morning of the final carnival ball, each of the older sisters gives "thirty pounds of wool" to the youngest, ordering her to card it by midnight. Again she is helped, this time by a band of mighty little mice summoned by the voice of the bones. This time, she goes to the ball "in a dress covered with stars".The king's son has planned for this night, asking that the floor near the exit be smeared with tar after the strange girl enters. When she runs away on that fateful third night, a shoe is left behind in the black goo. The very next day, a proclamation is read around town: every household will be visited by the prince, as he seeks the girl who can wear the shoe he caught in tar. " When the shoe and prince arrive at this house, and the older sisters try it on, it does not fit. "The shoe is too narrow for one, too short for the other." Then the king's son demands to know if there are other girls in the house. When one sister says there are and the other says there aren't, he becomes suspicious. He orders the girls to bring their sister. Now they try and fix the raggy thing up a bit, offering her some of their own garments. ("No, really! I'll let you wear this top. I mean, no offense but, um, you king of look like....you know, a cinder girl...") She replies something along the lines of , "Thanks, but no thanks." Then she waves the wand over their mother's bones, causing the dress of stars to appear. Quickly slipping this on, she wishes again for the other shoe. Then she goes out to the prince, in her glittering dress, with one bare foot. He "recognizes her the instant he sees her, fits the other shoe on her, and takes her to be his bride."

From: Cox, M. R. (1893/2011) p. 416 "Narrated and written down in Italian by Signorina Alodia Riboldi," (1889)

Notes: OMG! Peggy Orenstein, read this and weep. Sorry about Cinderella eating your daughter and all (did she spit  her out yet?) but here is a truly unique twist to the tail!

Cinderella #265 Walt Disney's Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella #265 Walt Disney's Cinderella (1950)

Illustration by
Retta Scott Worcester

Once upon a time, there was a very nice fellow who had a grand home, and all the comforts which money could buy. He also had a little girl, and he gave her "a pony, a puppy named Bruno, and many beautiful dresses." For all that, the child was unhappy, because she had no mother. So her father decided to find a wife. When he did find a lady, she had two daughters of her own. Perfect for his own little girl, or so he thought. Then tragedy struck: the good man died. His daughter was now but an orphan step-child to the lady, and she was none too kind. She made the girl sleep in the attic, and toil among the cinders all day. Because she was always sooty from the fireplace, her stepsisters began calling her Cinderella. Her only friends were "guess who—the mice!" She made little outfits for them and "they thought Cinderella was the sweetest girl in the world". She loved animals, and every morning, she "set a bowl of milk for the Stepmother's disagreeable cat...fed grain to the chickens and ducks and geese." She took breakfast trays upstairs every morning, and carried down dirty laundry and spilling chamber pots. When her long list of chores was done, said Stepmother, "Then you may rest." It happened one day that an invitation came from the King. There was to be a ball and "every girl in the land" was invited. So Cinderella said,"I am invited too!" and danced with joy. That's when her stepmother mocked her, saying, "If you finish your work and if you have something suitable to wear. I said if." No one was surprised when the big night came and Cinderella was left behind. But she was surprised when she went back to her room, because the mice "had been gathering discarded items from the stepsisters' rooms to fix a party dress for her". Her stepmother's coach had not left yet; maybe she could still ride in it! She dressed quickly, then ran out to join her family. But her stepsister's greed was such that they grabbed at her dress, tearing off the little scraps they had once thrown away. Now "Cinderella ran to the garden and cried as though her heart would break." Suddenly, she saw "a sweet-faced little woman" beside her, saying, "I am your Fairy Godmother." Then the old woman asked her to fetch a pumpkin, some mice and "Bruno, the dog". When the lovely orange coach was ready, with a team of mouse-gray horses and a canine coachman, the fairy beckoned for her to hop in. Then Cinderella said, "But my dress—" so the fairy waved her wand once more. Then there appeared "the most beautiful gown in the world, and tiny glass slippers."Away she went to the ball. When the prince saw her enter, he asked her to dance. The King "motioned to the musicians, and they struck up a dreamy waltz." Then Cinderella and the prince "swirled across the dance floor". Suddenly, the clock began to strike twelve. Cinderella ran out the door. "One of her little glass slippers fell off, but she could not stop." She made it home just before her stepsisters. The next day, two things happened. The news came that the prince was seeking the mysterious maiden who had lost a slipper the night before, and planning to marry her! And Cinderella walked around "humming a waltzing tune", which made her stepmother put two and two together. That is why she locked Cinderella in her room, high at the top of a winding, wooden staircase. But her friends the mice promised her that they would find the key. Meanwhile, "the house was in a flurry" because the royal messenger had arrived with the glass shoe. Now "each stepsister tried to forcer her foot into the tiny glass slipper." They could not. While no one was looking, a little mouse climbed Stepmother's apron, and dropped into her pocket. It bobbed up a moment later with the key, and scurried away. A few moments later, just as the royal messenger was about to depart, Cinderella rushed in and said, "May I try the slipper on?" When the messenger agreed, Stepmother "tripped the servant with the slipper. Crash! It splintered into a thousand pieces." But Cinderella drew the other glass slipper from her pocket and slipped it on. Before long she was married and "Princess of the land. And she and her husband, the charming Prince, rode to their palace in a golden coach to live happily ever after!"

From: Walt Disney's Cinderella: A Little Golden Book Classic (1950)

Notes: The illustrations in this book are lovely, with rich colors and many compelling details. What has happened to the Disney books? Why are they so much uglier today than they were in 1950? I have another lovely Disney Cinderella from 1974, and it too has wonderful colors and perspectives. The brand new Little Golden Book Cinderella, (2009) has illustrations that have shrunk by about 2/3 and way too much print. Even the wording from the older books is well done, with rich vocabulary and a succinct story line. This book shows me for the first time that the original Disney Cinderella story was indeed taken from the Perrault version. Here that tale is hewed closely too, with the exception of the dog as coachman and the mice who actually steal the key. Note that the mice do not talk yet, and are show as tiny, mouse sized creatures rather than the grotesque, overgrown and gaudily dressed fake-animals of the current story. 

P.S. I just love the king! I think when I was little I associated him with Old King Cole, that merry old soul, and Santa Claus. The king is a symbol of plenty. 

Cinderella #264 retold by Davidson, S. & Fiorin, F.

Cinderella #264 retold by Davidson, S. & Fiorin, F.

Illustration by
Fiorin, F. 

Once upon a time, an angry voice, belonging to  a cruel stepmother, shouted out,"Cinderella! Come and clean my bedroom at once!". Her stepdaughter came running at once. She had been right in the middle of making lunch for her stepsisters, mixing their "usual revolting dishes" of "sausage trifle and cabbage and custard". As she passed her stepsisters on the stairs, they jeered at her, saying,"What's little Cinders doing today, then?" and "She's sweeping away cobwebs, like a servant."Just then, the doorbell rang. The postman brought an invitation to "a Christmas Ball"! But when Cinderella asked her father if she could go, he "coughed and turned away". Cinderella figured that he was "too scared of Stepmother" to help her. Then the stepsisters went shopping for their party clothes. Grimmella "wanted to wear a hat decorated with stuffed birds". The other stepsister, Griselda, "chose a lime green dress with yellow spots". Even though they wouldn't let Cinderella go to the ball, they made her go shopping with them because she had such good taste. But when she suggested less ostentatious choices, they cried,"We must look grander than everyone else!" And when the night came, and the girls were finished styling their hair and putting their gladrags on, their mother said,"Oh my Tinkerbells, you look wonderful!" Then she turned to Cinderella and said,"Put up the Christmas decorations while we're gone." Once she was alone, however, all Cinderella could do was to sit down and cry. That's when she heard a crash. "There, in the fireplace, covered in soot, was her Fairy Godmother." Apparently she had "missed the door". She hadn't been to see Cinderella in years, but here she was! When she found out the cause of her god-child's sorrow, she declared," Fantastic Felicity is here to help." and sent the girl out for "a large pumpkin", as well as the mousetrap. When she had tapped the pumpkin with a wand, it became "a beautiful golden coach". The inhabitants of the mouse trap, "six mice, one fat rat, all alive", were turned into a team of six horses and driver. Two lizards from behind the water can became lizards. and Cinderella's ragged dress was transformed into "a dazzling dress of silver and gold". Her shoes became "a perfect pair of glass slippers". Off to the ball she went, promising to be home by midnight. Once the prince saw the gorgeous gal in the silver and gold gown, he didn't want to dance with anyone else. But suddenly, "as the prince whirled her around the room, she caught sight of the clock" and fled. She made it home just before her sisters. That's when she discovered that she had lost a shoe! The very next morning, a Royal Messenger came around, carrying a shoe on a pillow. He said that he had orders from the prince to try the shoe on every maiden in the kingdom. When he got to Cinderella's house, Grimmella pushed her way to the pillow, and grabbed the shoes. She tried to jam them on her feet, but they would not go, even though her mother yelled, "Squeeze, Grimmella! You're not trying hard enough." Griselda did no better. The stepmother tried to get rid of the man before he caught sight of Cinderella, but it was too late. Then Grimella said,"She's just a servant. You needn't bother with her!" But just then, Cinderella's father walked in. He started to say something, but was drowned out by his wife. Then he finally shouted, "Cinderella has as much right to try on the slipper as anyone." So she stepped forward, and held out her foot. "Oh Papa!" she said, as the slipper slid easily on. Even though it was obviously a perfect fit, her stepmother screamed, "She can't be a princess. I won't allow it!" She yelled at the messenger to go away, and tried to push him out the door. That's when "the messenger swept off his hat and cloak" and they all realized that he was actually the prince. He told Cinderella that he had looked all over his whole kingdom to find her, and asked, "Will you marry me?" Of course she said that she would. Then the fairy came back and caused a "starry mist" to float over the room. "Time for a little more magic" she declared, and gave Cinderella" a dress twice as lovely as the one of silver and gold. The prince and Cinderella were soon married, and lived together in joy. But Griselda and Grimmella and their mother did not enjoy harmony. Their mother never forgave them for missing the chance to become princesses, telling them, "It's all your fault for having such big feet."

From: Cinderella by Susanna Davidson, illustrated by Fabiano Fiorin (2004) England: Usborne Publishing Ltd.

Notes: This is a really cute little book, divided into five easy reader chapters. 
I love the English touches to this tale: the Christmas ball, the cabbage and custard, the sausage trifle. It is also nice to see Cinderella's father showing some back bone, for once in a blue moon of stories. 

English Vintage Firework 'Cinderella Joy Bomb'

Cinderella #263: Oh, my, how I want to have this. I so badly want the little dolls, and would so love to turn the box myself.

Cinderella #262 Vesle Brune Oks (Little Brown Ox)

Cinderella #262 Vesle Brune Oks (Little Brown Ox

The Ox of the Wonderful Horns

Once upon a time, in Sweden, there lived a very poor man with many children. When his eldest was barely shaving his beard, he was sent out into the world to earn his own keep. He wandered until he came to a village, then begged for work. He was taken on as ox herd by a cruel, selfish woman who barely fed him enough to keep him alive. At last, when the boy is on the brink of starvation, something amazing happens. One day, "when the rest of the cattle are sleeping, a magic ox amongst them turns his ear to the boy, who finds therein butter, cakes, and cheese." After John has eaten his fill, the ox says, "Drink from my horn.' Thence, he drinks beer, has never tasted better." As John begins to gain weight and strength, his mistress grows suspicious. She sends her daughter to spy upon him then, and discovers his secret. Now the woman orders that the magical brown ox be slain. John begs to be allowed to swing the axe to kill it, and is given leave to do so. But "he takes the axe and happens to strike the mistress on the head. She faints." Then John and the brown ox run away. After some time, they come to an assembly of horsemen. It turns out that each is taking a turn to ride up a very steep mountain, for at the top sits a princess. She "is holding a twig of gold, a twig of silver, and one of tin". If a man reaches the top of the mountain and she's just not that into him, she will give him the twig of tin. If a man rides up and is desirable to her, she will give him the twig of silver. And if a horseman reaches the top of the mountain, and she finds that she loves him, she will "give him the golden twig". No one has made it to the top yet, but John rides his magical ox straight up the mountain. The princess gives him the gold twig and "from that day, the little brown ox stands in the king's stable, and is caressed and cared for like the most beautiful horse."

From: Cox., M. R. (1893/2011) p. 456

Notes: This story is something of a predecessor, it would seem, to the tale of the Princess on the Glass Mountain. It is also strikingly similar to the African folktale of The Ox With the Wonderful Horns. 

Cinderella #261 Guldtæning (Gold-dice;1857)

Cinderella #261 Guldtæning (Gold-dice;1857)

Illustration by
Arthur Rackham

Once upon a time, as a farmer's wife told the tale, there was " a king who has three daughters, the youngest named Guldtæning." It happened that war broke out in the kingdom. To keep his daughters safe, the king buries them in a mound with "victuals for seven years". But the war drags on. The king himself is killed, and the seven years have passed. There is no more food, and "after they have eaten the dog and the cat, the two elder die of hunger." The younger girl survives, and digs her way to the surface. There, she catches a little mouse, "which she skins and eats". This gives her enough strength to make her way over the burned and scarred landscape, to the castle, which once belonged to her father. She begs for work there, and is given tasks, "first as gooseherd, then as cook". It turns out that the king of the castle has been betrothed to a woman he has never met. When she arrives for the wedding ceremony, the servants see that she is "very ugly". Furthermore, she "gives birth on the wedding day". Then this bride-to-be sends for a servant to change places with her. Guldtæning is sent, and switches clothes with her. The ugly bride warns her not to speak a word to anyone on the way to church, and not to reveal her face. But when Guldtæning approaches the horse, "it knows her instantly, and bows to her." She whispers to it,"Bow not to me, Dear Black, my steed. The last maid that rode thee was I, indeed." When the prince asks what she just said, she does not reply. Next they ride over a bridge, and she says,"The bridge was built firm by my father, they say. Not to tremble on Guldtæning's wedding day. Now a raven flies by, and the disguised former princess sings,"The raven black o'erhead is flying; the bride in the oven-hole is lying. She bears a son, there's no denying." She won't answer the prince's queries about why she has sung these lines. As they walk on, Guldtæning sees "a mouse-skin, fastened to a stick." She says, very quietly, "Ah! The gray mouse still is there. These little fingers skinned it bare. If only less cruel had been my need, I would rather have died than have done this deed." They go on to church and are married. Then the prince gives her one of the gloves that he is wearing, telling her to put it on. When they get back to the castle, the women exchange dresses again, and the true, ugly bride goes to the prince. He asks her immediately what she told the horse. She excuses herself and runs quickly to ask Guldtæning what she had said. Then she goes and tells the prince. But now he wants to know what she told the bridge. Again, she runs away and returns a few minutes later. Exasperated, the prince demands that she tell him, at once, what she sang to the raven, and that she return his glove. When she refuses, he becomes suspicious. That's when the prince hears a voice! It is Guldtæning and she has snuck up behind the ugly bride. She holds out the glove, which the prince accepts. Then "the princess is sentenced to death, for deception, and prince and heroine live happily together."

From: Cox, M. R. (1893/2011) p. 228

Notes: This story gives a whole new twist to the mouse as animal helper. What would Disney say if Cinderella ate Gus instead of stitching him a beret? Even Mouse-Skins, and the Princess in Mouse Skins, didn't actually eat the mice...

Cinderella #260 by Marineau, M. & Pratt, M. (2007)

Cinderella #260 by Marineau, M. & Pratt, M. (2007)

Illustration by
Pratt, M. 

Once upon a time, in Canada, "Cynthia lived with her father in a little house in a big city." Life was great, until her dad found another wife. During the ceremony, the new wife's two daughters "cried and carried on." That's when Cynthia realized that "life with these two is not going to be fun." Boy, was she right. Her lazy stepsisters soon found that they could make poor Cynthia do all of the housework while they "slept, watched TV, and slept some more". At night, tired from working all day, she "curled up in front of the fireplace, with only the cinders to keep her company." That's how her sisters got the idea to call her Cinderella. It happened one day that an announcement came from the king. It said that "he would throw a ball, and the whole family was invited." But the stepmother and her girls just laughed and said, "God heavens! How silly!" and told her to get back to work. When she was finally alone, Cynthia just sat down and cried. Then she heard a familiar voice. It said, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself this instant! You must take charge and change your own life, young lady." Now Cinderella said that she had no clothes, or jewels, or means of transportation, the fairy said that she needed some raw ingredients. She told Cinderella to get her "a nice ripe tomato, some vanilla yogurt, raisins, and...and...a dog." When these had been brought, she tapped each, once. There now appeared a bright red coach, a creamy silk gown, and "an usual chauffeur". The fairy wished her well, told her to be back by midnight, else the magic wear off, and reminded her "Smile! Without a smile, all the other stuff doesn't count." It was true: once the prince saw her, he watched her cross the room. When he smiled at her, and she smiled back, he was charmed. They spent the evening dancing together. Suddenly, the clock struck twelve. "Cinderella ran so fast that she lost her shoe." When she got home, all she could think was, "Wow!". She thought the prince was the most charming man she had ever met. Then her stepmother and sisters got home. All they could say was, "Wow!". They thought that the prince was the most charming they had ever met. It turned out that another of his personality traits was perseverance, for he undertook a thorough search for the girl who ran from the ball. So he travelled, and made people try and fit their feet into the shoe. But no one could. At last, "one morning, a delicate little foot slid gently into the shoe." When the prince saw the rest of the girl on the other end of the foot, he knew that he had found the one he sought. He asked her to marry him, and she said yes! "How could she resist those brown eyes, that noble profile, that speckled shirt?" The wedding was followed by a huge party, and "Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after, surrounded by tomatoes, dogs, and lots of children."

From: Cinderella retold by Marineau, M., illustrated by Pratt, M.