Cinderella

by David Delamare

This delightful retelling of Cinderella begins at an earlier and happier time--when Cinderella's mother was still alive--than the traditional story. Young readers are certain to be enchanted anew by this oldest rags-to-riches story, now in a romantic Venetian setting magically painted by the author. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Cinderella, Art

26 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Ygraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

& this one is maybe one of the oldest books i own -- around the time i was meant to be born, my dad was rehearsing rossini's cenerentola & my mum went to every rehearsal, so that they'd be together if she went into labour. this is the edition of cinderella they gave me, & read to me, once i'd come into the world & it's the one i think about -- venice & gondolas & tricks of perspective & animal-headed people & black and white marble floors & the glare off the stepsister's glasses & the paintbrush poised at the other's lips & the palace across the canal, glittering, all of it, always ! even the distinct smell of the pages, not quite like any of my other old books ! precious beyond words !

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful painterly-like illustrations, and an adaptation that takes the story to a setting in Italy. One of the best artbooks for the Cinderella fairy tale I've seen.

[Chicco Padovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quando ho scoperto questo albo a momenti cadevo dalla sedia. Una Cenerentola ambientata nella Venezia del Settecento? Sì, sì, sì, mille volte sì. Io stesso ho scritto una versione di Cenerentola ambientata nella città lagunare e per me è stato davvero emozionante sfogliare queste pagine. La storia è ben scritta, ma a far battere il cuore sono le illustrazioni. Le gondole, le maschere, le parrucche! Che meraviglia. Mi è mancata giusto un’illustrazione che mostrasse Cenerentola con l’abito del ballo, a parte questo il libro è davvero incantevole. Il volume purtroppo è fuori catalogo (io sono riuscito a recuperare una copia usata), speriamo qualche editore, magari italiano, lo riporti presto in libreria.

[Lisa Rathbun]

A Cinderella with a more distinct sense of place than many of the tales, this story takes place in 18th century Venice, with Cinderella's dad an absent, wealthy merchant. I really loved the illustrations; the one where the gondolier is turning back into a rat as they leave the duke's palace at midnight in the rain is one of my favorites, but I also love the portrait of Cinderella on the front cover.

[Mackenzie Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nicely written version of the classic tale of Cinderella. Good illustrations, and detailed writing make it appropriate for several ages. I enjoyed how the author gave lots of background info and told exactly why Cinderella was in her tragic position. And of course, I'm a sucker for a good love story and loved that things ended up happily ever after!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderella in Italy. Wonderful alternative to my traditional view of this story. I love the images and the discussion of ....her Mother. 2-5

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite version of Cinderella. Gorgeous pictures.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting version of the Cinderella narrative for it takes place in Venice although the name of the city is never provided to the reader but the inclusion of canals and gondolas is a bit of the tip-off. At the same time Ella's parents are rather included in a great chunk of the story with her father being an absentee parent in the same career option as Beauty's father from Beauty and the Beast, which explains how her family was leaning more towards wealthy and her mother staying alive at least until her sixteenth birthday, which in the history of things Ella would have been long since married off with little ones of her own.

As a result the reader will find that this is rather a text-heavy version with the text on one side while the other side is dedicated to some wonderful illustrations. The colors fluctuate with some being in bright colors, some in more of a sepia tone and others in a much darker palette. The characters are all rather realistic whether human or animal with the exception of her stepfamily as they feel to be more abstract, more blended into themselves thus making them a bit more like puppets in this telling, which is countered by the more beautiful yet ephemeral fairy-mother who even without being solid is more human than they.

Furthermore the illustrations play with perspective while at times making Cinderella rather feel like she is a vulnerable little girl, the length of the stairs or the minimalizing of the protagonist whether since of time or transformation. Paired with details this book is simply breathtaking with this artwork.

All in all it was a fairly interesting take of this story while at the same time being much more children-friendly than the originals and providing the reader with some details that aren't normally included. As such for those who like to read Cinderella stories this will need to be a must read for your shelf.

[Risa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up around a lot of books, but this was possibly the first book I ever personally owned, that was gifted me at age 5. It might be my favorite book of all time. It's the book that made me want to read - to better understand the BEAUTIFUL pictures. (And yes, the pictures are gorgeous!). It's set in Italy, and can make you feel transported there; traveling around peacefully in a little Venetian gondola! Her character, in this version, is very wise and believable. Of all the versions I have seen since, this one strikes me as perhaps the deepest and most real in nature. (I think it actually introduced me to the concept of OBSERVING, and of seeking to navigate life with strength and grace - which is interesting). I would say it also celebrates ingenuity. She is seen in the beginning, watching a circus type scene, with unique concepts and inventions, fire jugglers and so on. The royal ball is full of dancers with elaborate, but very different, masks and head dresses - all while she observes humbly and unassumingly as she moves among them.

I would recommend this for any little girl with a love for detailed art, creativity, ingenuity, wonder, and fairy tales. And for that matter, any adult who loves fairy tales, depth, and fine art. This book is a masterpiece!

[Maureen Vander Heyden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Following a similar stroyline as the most well known version of Cinderella, this story starts off with Cinderella's mother being alive. Although hearing this different start, this book did not excite me. The illustrations were striking, but still were not engaging enough to keep me looking at them.

[Library Lady Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the two page spreads that further enhanced the story and the fact that the story was set in a region with gondola's.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fine version of the story, but not one that appealed to me personally. I liked that Cinderella was brunette and that this telling was set in Venice.

[Abby Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will probably never be another book that can QUITE take the place of this in my heart.

It was the book my mother used to teach me to read as a child (after all my teachers said I was impossible to teach and needed to be medicated).

To me, as this is the first story I can ever remember hearing (apart from shortened versions of Biblical History), this IS how Cinderella should be. It seems so natural to me that Cinderella is Italian and from Venice, floating to the ball and her duke on a gondola. Of COURSE she's Italian. No matter how many French, German, Russian, Egyptian, you name it, takes on Cinderella I've heard (and I swear I've heard them ALL, since I LOVE Cinderella to pieces and was fixated on her story as a child), some part of me just is always whispering, in the back of my mind, "she's from Venice, she has curly brown hair, owned a pet parrot, and her fairy godmother came from starlight itself" because of this wonderful book.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living happily with her mother and father, Cinderella finds her life beginning to unravel with the death of her mother and her father's remarriage, in a beautifully illustrated retelling of the traditional tale set against the romantic backdrop of Venice.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lush version is set in Venice, Italy; with gorgeous full-page and double-page paintings throughout.

[Zia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special!

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, beautiful illustrations.

[Meltha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Venice, this version features a pumpkin gondola. Cinderella is over 16 when her mother dies, and her father sends her to a boarding school for two years until he marries the widow. We never actually see him again. Cinderella falls in love with a boy who drifted past her sweet 16 party and he winds up being the duke. The fairy godmother is the fairy-mother here (as a good portion of the book has the mother alive and the two quite close, this is a nice touch), and there is a lovely, timeless feel to the illustrations.