If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella

by Laura Whipple, Laura Beingessner (Illustrator)

If the Shoe Voices from Cinderella takes a fresh look at an old and favorite story. In thirty-three poems it brings to life not only the voices of well-loved characters, but also voices of characters not usually heard from -- including the glass slipper, without which the story would not have a happy ending. On the stage set by the story we hear each player tell the tale from their point of view, answering the questions that swirl around
Is the ghost of Cinderella's father at peace in the afterlife? What has made Cinderella's stepmother so cruel? Can a rat be as happy as a human? How do the prince's mother and father feel about Cinderella for their son? Does the Magic One's Magic last forever? Do the glass slippers realize how important a role they play in the life of one girl? Is there a quiet someone, with a gentle purr, who is a secret accomplice? And, finally, what does Cinderella herself have to say to us about her own story?
Through the rhythms of Laura Whipple's poetry and the sweeping colors of Laura Beingessner's artwork, Cinderella's story is spun anew for audiences of all ages to celebrate.

Genres: Poetry, Cinderella, Fairy Tales, Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy

67 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cinderella as a novel in verse, it's quite entertaining.

[CH13_Meghan Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before coming to better understand traditional literature, I had no idea the classic tale of Cinderella had variations...sounds so silly to say now that I've read over 6 different adaptations of the tale!
If the Shoe Fits: Voices form Cinderella by Laura Whipple is a fabulous ode to the fairytale Cinderella. Whipple uses the voices from Cinderella (the father, the step-mother, the step-sisters, the fairy god mother, the prince, etc) to create 33 poems that vibrantly retell Cinderella's story. Each character tells the tale from their point of view, and thus the reader is able to experience Cinderella's story exactly as the story unfolds (as opposed to being a bystander to the events).
I think we often expect fairytales to begin "Once upon a time..." and end with "And they lived happily ever after...," however this collection of poems turns this expectation on it's head. In fact, the characters themselves are unexpected...for example the father speaks to the readers as a ghost from his grave! Laura Whiipple uses colorful word choice, vivid figurative language, and interesting sentence structure to provide excellent anticipation and reader motivation in each of the 33 poems. I would suggest this collection of poems to be used in both elementary and middle school classrooms in order to discuss not only the fairytale but to also teach poetry, word choice, and figurative language.
My favorite poem is written from Cinderella's deceased father who begins his poem by saying, "Hear my voice first./ Blinded by a cunning woman,/ I was the unfortunate fool/ who set the stage/ for the ashes and tears in this tale..."

[(NS) Brea M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through a collection of poetry, Laura Whipple tells the story of Cinderella. With each of the thirty-three poems comes a new perspective of this traditional tale. The stepmother, stepsisters, Cinderella’s cat, the Prince, and even Cinderella’s dead father tell their thoughts and feelings as the events unfold. I especially liked the point-of-view of the prince’s mother at the end. She shares her initial doubts of her son’s new wife and ends up realizing that Cinderella is an answer to her prayers.

Any age child would love hearing and discussing the creative perspectives of each character in this story. This book would be excellent for older readers (9-13) who would likely have read numerous other Cinderella versions. This age group of children would connect to the different perspectives as they too are beginning to have their own ideas about life. Perhaps after reading this story, students could analyze the point-of-view of other stories they read and discuss how perspective can really change a story. Students could also choose a character and write a clever poem from the perspective of that character.

[(NS) Panagiota Angelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my favorite version of the classic tale Cinderella is If the Shoe Fits: Voices from Cinderella. The author retells this version in rhymes in thirty-three poems. Each poem represents the perspective of a different character. It begins with a prelude from an elderly Cinderella reflecting back on her experiences. This is the only version I know that tells us the perspective of the glass slipper (Personification). “Abandoned in the prime of my life! Dropped! Separated from my mate!” The rich vocabulary in this book stands out including terms such as quandary, regret, grumbles, melancholy, aristocracy and reprise. This is an absolute must read. This version is perfect for older students ages 8 and up. In the end, find out how Cinderella answers three thought provoking questions directed to the reader (including “Did we live happily ever after?”) in the author’s last poem.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The classic fairy-tale of Cinderella is retold from multiple perspectives in this novella in verse from author Laura Whipple and illustrator Laura Beingessner, creating an engaging and thought-provoking new look at a very old story. After a brief prelude from Cinderella herself, the book opens with an introduction from the spirit of her father, now passed away. From there the story proceeds along mostly expected lines, filling in the gaps—what made the stepmother so cruel?, how did Cinderella's fairy godmother get the news of her fate?, what did the household cat think of it all?, how did the Prince feel about the ball, both before and after our heroine's arrival?, how did the glass slippers feel about their role?—missing from more traditional versions. The book closes with a conclusion from Cinderella, as she sums up her experiences and offers some advice to the reader...

I enjoyed If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella, both for the new points of view it introduced, and for the lovely gouache artwork it contained. Whipple's verse was hit or miss with me—sometimes I greatly enjoyed it, and sometimes I found myself indifferent to it—but I appreciated the idea behind her book, and the themes she introduced. I did wonder a bit at the goodbye given by the cat after Cinderella is found by her Prince—shouldn't the cat have gone with her to the palace? or did he return to the fairy godmother?—but other than that I also enjoyed the story itself, as presented here. The visuals were quite appealing, with expressive faces and wonderful use of color. I did wish that they had been on every two-page spread, rather than there being some which were wholly text, but leaving that aside I was very pleased, from an aesthetic perspective. All in all, although not destined to become a favorite, I liked this one, and am glad to have read it, as part of my recent Cinderella project. Recommended to young fairy-tale lovers, particularly those who enjoy stories in verse.

[Danielle Routh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of poems is a refreshing take on an often overworked story--first, the author comments via poetry; second, we hear from many other points of view, including Ella's cat and the prince's mother; finally, the poetry itself is a lovely blend of rhyme and meter that is unique and pleasing to the ear. The illustrations, which portray a brunette Ella, are enchanting, and Whipple offers subtle life lessons throughout the thirty-three poems, ending with an imperative to focus less on fairy tales and more on our real lives. She also portrays somewhat penitent stepsisters, which is a nice change. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection of poetry. It is a very interesting conception to give voice to other charters within Cinderella. I think that it is done really well. I also loved the pictures that accompany the poems. I enjoyed all of the poems but my favorite poems are, "Cinderella's Mourning," "Cinderella Alone," "Magic-Her," "Blossoming," "Cinderella's Waltz," "Guest Gossip," "The Other Slipper," "Congratulations," "Cinderella's Doubt," and "Cinderella's Coda."

[Katie Easter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Grade Level: 2-3rd grade

This book of poems is all about Cinderella. This has the reading level for second and third graders, but this would be a very good model for 4th grade+ of students learning to write their own poetry. This is a great book with poems about all of Cinderella's life.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my favorite version of Cinderella.

A series of poems, each in the voice of one of the story's characters, illustrate the individual moments of the narrative without directly telling it. The individual perspectives give a greater depth to the characters than other versions I've read.

[Devynn Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a different take on the childhood tale of Cinderella. The story is told in poetry, something many children may be new to. I loved how certain characters poems are formed specifically for them and that the story stays true to tradition in a new and beautiful way.

[Andrew]

As suggested in Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers

[Emma Rothenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really unique way to tell the story of Cinderella through poetry. The changing perspectives through poems was very cool to read, especially with how the type of poems were different from each other. The cat was the best part.

[Katherine Niemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of poems that give readers a new perspective on classic fairytales. Classics like Cinderella told from the glass slippers point of view. The whimsical poems help readers enjoy poetry, and show that it doesn't have to be serious, it can be funny.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a completely different look at Cinderella, in poetry form, with a separate poem for each segment of the Cinderella story. An interesting and different way to look at the familiar story.

[Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the Shoe Fits is a collection of poems that take the reader through the journey of the age-old fairytale Cinderella. This collection of poems takes a new spin on the classic tale because it is told from many different view points. The narrators of the poem collection include her father, her step mother, the king, the step sisters, and many more. Through short poems from many different eye-witness accounts, the story of Cinderella is retold in a fantastically new way.
This story could be applied to the classroom particularly when studying poetry and it's different elements. There are a total of 33 poems, and each of them is unique in the different elements it offers to the reader. The wide variety is valued as a young reader is exposed to many different aspects of poetry. This could also be used when doing a genre study of poetry. Another spin that could be taken when applying this book to the classroom could be a study on Point of View and the many different voices that come together to tell a story.

[Kayla Pollema · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If the Shoe Fits" is a book of poetry that tells the story of Cinderella from each characters point of view.

The use of point of view makes the poetry book of a familiar story an interesting read. Every character has a voice in this book. This way the reader sees what each character was thinking during the story. Because the book is made up of many short poems from different point of views, the book is an easy read for most students. Even though it is an easy read it has gives students and teachers the oppertunity to talk about what is means find the point of view in the every story they read. Another side note that could be taught with this story is a study on characters. Using this book as starting point to talk about what it means to have different characters in books.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie has been requesting Cinderella books, so I found this one in the juvenile poetry section of the library. She wasn't interested in the long poems, but I really liked it. A new look at an old story, 33 poems tell the Cinderella story from different perspectives: the dead father, the stepmother, the prince, the rat, the fairy godmother, the glass slipper. My favorite line is from the point of view of the glass slipper being tried on several girls:
"Heavy, ugly, big feet
pushing down on my very sole!"
Not the greatest poetry ever, but a fun and enjoyable story that is worth re-reading again.

[(NS) Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a clever collection of poems that tell the story of Cinderella from different characters' points of view. The poems are adorable and range from being about the stepmother to the slipper. In particular I loved the poem Feet that was about all the different feet that had tried the slippers on. It is humorous and keeps my attention! I think this book would be great to teach children how to write from different points of view. I can imagine using it to jump-start a writing activity in grades 3-5. It's a little difficult of a concept for lower primary grades to model their own writing after, but they might enjoy some of the poems :)

[Lisa Rathbun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good way to teach point of view. I found this diverting, but not particularly deep or touching. I thought the cat's voice was a little corny, especially that the cat sends thought-messages to the fairy godmother. This could be a cute middle-grade performance piece, with different characters speaking monologues (or dialogues as in the stepsisters' poems.)



To me, "The Seven Stage a Comeback" by Gregory Maguire found in "A Wolf at the Door" is much more amazing! That retelling of the dwarfs response after Snow White has left is much more powerful and imaginative.

[Handan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a book for which I had really high hopes, and I guess that's part of the reason why I'm rating it so poorly. I mean, poems from nearly every vantage point of the Cinderella tale? That's so much promising material!

And it fell sort of flat. I mean, yes, we do hear multiple voices, but it is to tell the same old story. I like that we get a little more of Cinderella's father and his regret, but there was just nothing new or fresh about this book. And that bugged me. But, like I said, maybe my hopes were too high. Maybe I should try doing this myself and then be able to give a little more credit to the author. Maybe.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good book to use with children at the upper elementary to middle school level. The book begins and ends with Cinderella as an old lady looking back at her life. The poems are written from different characters' points of view over time. The characters include, not only the expected, but the unexpected too. We hear from the glass slippers, individually, as well as the coachman rat. I would probably use this as a read aloud, especially with the upper elementary students.

[Crista Goluch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really the "Voices of Cinderella". We hear narrative counts by everyone from the Father's ghost to the lost shoe. I am a big fan of Cinderella and I love how the author brings out the feelings and concerns of all of those involved in the story, not just Cinderella.

This is a great book to use when beginning a poetry unit with students becasue they are familiar with the story. There is a great variety of poems contained within, everything from two voices to rhyme.

[Gemma Duling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personal Reaction:
I liked this book because it provides perspectives from every character in Cinderella. I did not like it though because it was not very fun and engaging for children.

Purpose:
I would use this for children's enjoyment and make them think about Cinderella and all the characters. It will make them realize that all the characters may have an opinion even though not everyone has a say.

[Aaron Wilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the shoe fits is a classical tale from a traditional story. In this version of Cinderella, you get the chance to put together so many missing pieces from the traditional tale. This version of Cinderella has the same plot and setting but with a different twist. This version of Cinderella is an example of all the possibilities that you could create to add on to this traditional story. This story was refreshing because it makes so many other characters more vocal.

[Caitlan Jett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awards: N/A
Reading Level: 3.3
Interest Level: 3rd and up.

This is perfect for those students who love fairy tales but want to see them in different versions and forms. The poems are not hard to understand and this would be a wonderful poetry book to give to a student who is just starting to read poems.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book of poetry of a Cinderella story, from the point of view of the different characters. This would be good to recommend to children that are just starting to get engaged into poems. Also a good fairy tale story that all girls love to imagine they are in. Would recommend it more for girls than guys, because guys wouldn't want to read about fairy tales all the times.

[TxLadyForever · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Daughter told me ***Go, go. Put your shoes on and go!
(If you happen to accidentally pick up 2 of them, I’ll take one off your hands!***

Told me everything I needed to know about this book so ......

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Cinderella is told through poetry with all the different characters telling their part. Very original and very enjoyable! I liked the glass slippers point of view :). It didn't like all the big smelly feet being pushed into it:)

[Gretchen Wendell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the Shoe Fits by L. Whipple is a book of poetry that was fun to read. The characters retell the story of Cinderella through their own eyes and it really gives the reader a new perspective about the traditional tale of Cinderella. Grade level reader 3.7, lexile and DRA not available.

[Heidi Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever poetry from the points of view of all the characters in the Cinderella story, from Ella herself to stepmom and sisters to the rat who drives her stagecoach to the ball to the ghost of her deceased father. New perspectives on a very old story. Can't wait to share this with my class!