Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella

by Jewell Reinhart Coburn (Adapted by), Tzexa Cherta Lee, Anne Sibley O'Brien (Illustrator)

Despite a cruel stepmother's schemes, Jouanah, a young Hmong girl, finds true love and happiness with the aid of her dead mother's spirit and a pair of special sandals

Genres: Picture Books, Cinderella, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 1996

About the author

has lived abroad and studies an array of diverse cultures. Has a doctorate in Higher Education Administration, two honorary degrees plus many literary awards. Currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband Bill.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folklorist Jewell Reinhart Coburn, who subsequently retold two other Cinderella variants from different cultures - Angkat: The Cambodian Cinderella and Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition - began with this version of the story from the Hmong people of Southeast Asia.

Jouanah, whose loving mother had allowed herself to be transformed into a cow, in order to help with the family farming during a time of great need, finds herself relegated to the position of servant when her father remarries, and her stepmother and stepsister prove both lazy and cruel. After the death of the cow (engineered by her jealous stepmother), and then of her father, Jouanah's position only worsens, and the gentle girl retreats further and further into silence. But then one day, during the New Year celebration, the spirit of Jouanah's mother provides her with the finery she needs to attend the village festivities, and catch the eye of the village elder's son. Will he be able to find her again, when she must flee, leaving behind only her dainty slippers...?

I think that this may be my favorite, of the three Cinderella variants retold by Coburn, as the contrast between the familiar and unfamiliar elements - the familiar slippers whose loss proves so fateful in reuniting the lovers; the unfamiliar transformation of the true mother into a cow, and her continued role (rather than a fairy-godmother) in Jouanah's life - is particularly pronounced, and makes for a fascinating read! I also greatly enjoyed the illustrations by Anne Sibley O'Brien, whose work I recognized from a number of Tilbury House publications ( Who Belongs Here?: An American Story , Moon Watchers: Shirin's Ramadan Miracle , etc.). Her use of color, and her incorporation of Hmong folk motif borders appealed to me greatly. All in all, this lovely Hmong variant of the "persecuted heroine" tale type - a tale type found all over the world - is one that deserves to be better known. I highly recommend it to young fairy-tale lovers, and to anyone interested in Cinderella variants!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read my Goodreads’ friend Abigail’s review of this book and immediately reserved the book at the library. I’ve been very interested in the Hmong culture ever since I read Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, and within the last year I’ve read several other variations of the Cinderella tale and I thought this one would be interesting.

I appreciated the background work and the divulging of it by the authors and illustrator as regards keeping this authentic to the Hmong culture.

I liked this variation of the tale, as seen in the illustrations and as aspects of the story, such as the mother being turned into a cow. And I cared about Jouanah. But, I was not kept rapt by this tale; in fairness, I suspect that would have been true of most Cinderella tales or most fairy tales, given the mood I was in.

This alternate version, one of so many, is interesting though, and an excellent addition to the genre, and the illustrations are quite good. I found it to be one of the more interesting and unusual Cinderella tales that I’ve read.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in middle school and then again in high school. It's a Cinderella story in the Hmong community (a Southeastern--and my--ethnicity).

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite unusual!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at the same time I was reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman with my local book club.

I love that it depicts the Hmong people and their lives before their tragic exodus from Laos. I also appreciated the Cinderella-like story, as it allows our girls to compare the different details of the story compared to other books we've read. We've read several different versions of the classic Cinderella tale and while the stories are quite different, the main thread of the tale remains fairly constant.

Overall, this is an entertaining story with wonderful illustrations. We really enjoyed reading it together and I liked that it gave me just one more facet of Hmong culture as I read the other book.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and creative twist to the original Cinderella. Jouanah, a young girl lived on a farm with her loving mother and father. When her mother is turned into a cow, her father is left lonely so he remarries. The woman he married had a daughter about Jouanah's age, but she was mean and cruel just like her mother. When the elder's son has a ball, Jouanah is left at home as ordered by her stepmother, but after talking to her cow mother, she got a beautiful outfit to wear to the ball. The elder's son was smitten for Jouanah, but before he could talk to her, she was gone. All she left behind was a dainty shoe. The elder's son used this to find Jouanah and when he did, they got married and lived happily ever after.
This book was a really fun read. It had amazing cultural elements and beautiful illustrations. Definitely different from the original Cinderella, this story brings you into the southeast Asian culture and leaves you with a better understanding of their values. A great read for all children who love princesses or just want to study other cultures.

[Kaokao · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was in elementary school so that was about 18 years ago. I don't remember much about the book but being Hmong myself, I know that it was similar to the story my mom told me.
The reading was simple and the art was beautiful. The traditional clothes were realistic enough. It was a beautiful read.
I'll recommend it to people.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

While containing many of the basic elements of the Cinderella story, it also had some unique elements. The element that was most surprising was that the family needs a cow and the mother tells the father to turn her into a cow, and he does. I loved the beautiful, detailed illustrations that portrayed Jouanah's beauty and goodness as well as the beautiful setting in Thailand.

[Disney Princess Recovery · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite version of Cinderella yet. A way more interesting beginning than, "First the mom died, then the dad died, now the story begins."

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Anne O'Brien's artwork style, but the story itself is like so many "Cinderella" tales from Asia it wasn't really intriguing or brought anything new apart from the ethnic flavour.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fairy tale is based in Laos, and has both similarities and marked differences with other versions of Cinderella. In this story, when Jouanah's family faces grave financial distress, her mother agrees to turn into a cow so that she can help the family. However, Jouanah's father abandons the mother and remarries, and the stepmother and her daughter treat Jouanah cruelly. The mother's spirit serves as the fairy godmother in this tale, and after Jouanah meets a village elder's son, she leaves behind a very small shoe that is his only clue to finding her.

This picture book shares a classic story from a cultural group that receives little attention in America, and the publisher created an in-depth teacher's guide and activity planner to accompany it. This was part of a series of different global Cinderella tales, and it is well-written, with beautiful, vibrant illustrations.

This is sure to appeal to young readers who are interested in Cinderella stories and fairy tales in general. It can provide points of connection for Hmong students, and can begin great discussions about different versions of Cinderella, women's vulnerability, and what students already know or would like to learn about Laos and the Hmong people.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this one, but I was rather startled when the wife was turned into a cow!

[RLL 220 Selena Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Very interesting! This takes place high in the mountains of the ancient homeland of the Hmong. A farming family needed a cow in order to farm the land and the mother gave the father permission to turn her into a cow temporarily. He did, they did so well on the crops he didn't turn her back into a human and even married another women. Jouanah was sad about he mom being a cow but saddened even more when her step mom made her do all the house work and tricked Jouanah's dad into burning the silken yarn her mom (cow) was making for Jouanah, the step mom was able to tricking the dad into killing the cow but before he could the cow had already dead of a broken heart. Jouanah and her dad would sit sad many days. The village had festivals in the New Year, Jouanah's step mother and daughter wanted to be the first ones there. She was cruel to Jouanah, she put thousands of tiny pebbles into a basket of rice and told Jouanah to clean it. This took her two days to finish. On the third day when she sat down to rest she reached into her mothers sewing basket. In the basket she discovers a beautiful skirt, blouse and apron. She also finds a headdress, necklace, and purses. When she joined the feastival no one knew who she was. Shee-Nang the son of the village Elder serenaded her. Although she was enjoying herself when she saw her stepmother leaving she knew she had to beat her home so she ran off and one of her shoes got stuck in the mud. Shee-Nang who had been trying to catch her found it and didn't rest the next day until he found the young lady who could fit the shoe. When he found her she was too frightened to try on the shoe but they could both see that she could fit it. The stepmother tried one more trick to try to keep them apart but this only helped Shee-Nang see more good qualities in Jouanah.

I enjoyed this book, I absolutely loved the illustrations. It is so rich with expression on the faces of the people. The pictures give the words a clearer and deeper meaning. I could see even a someone that is not reading text yet, look at the pictures and get a good story out of it.
I also like the interesting twist. There is no fairy god mother but there is I'm not sure if one would call it magic or something else but we do read a person being turned into a tree. She is helped by the voice of her mother right before going to the celebration and I am not real sure what happened to her dad. But she does live a long life where her sadness had been turned to joy!

[Patricia Brandys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella is a story about the Hmong people with using the traditional story of Cinderella. I found this text on Dr. Quiora list of traditional literature on good reads. I then listened to the book on YouTube by Jia Yang who is of Hmong descent and read it for Hmong American Day Read Aloud.

The story has similar elements to Cinderella with the inclusion of details that are representative of the Hmong culture. The illustrations also bring the culture to life by showing the beautiful landscapes and dress of the Hmong people. Some details that were different is the beginning of the story because we met Jouanah and her family. We learn how her parents pass away and how it leads up to Jouanah being left with her stepmother and sister. This is where the story remains relatively similar to the original. There is a festival that they attend and Jouanah comes dressed beautifully and meets a young man. He falls in love with her and they both end up together in the end.

What I enjoyed about this version is the strong relationship Jouanah has with her parents, especially her mom. We see how, even after her mother passes away, that they continue to maintain their strong bond. Her mother becomes her "fairy godmother" but not the same as in the traditional story. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations because I don't have much background knowledge on the Hmong people, so the beautiful illustrations helped me make a connection with the story. We saw the beautiful landscape of their village and the beautiful dress of the people. Even though this text is written about a different culture, students will be able to make a connection to the traditional story and use the illustrations as a reference.

I would recommend the story to upper elementary aged students, grades 4 and up. Overall I enjoyed the story and think it was a great mixture of the traditional story with the Hmong culture.

[Andre · Rating 2 out of 5]

1) Deutsche Rezension
2) English Review

1) Deutsche Rezension
Rezept um eine Kuh zu werden:
Man nehme 3 Reben und winde sie dreimal um die Knöchel, dreimal um das Handgelenk und dreimal um den Kopf. Wer will es testen?

Dies war ein typisches Märchen, mit allen Pros und Kontras die es dabei gibt. So wird Magie (wie die obere) als völlig normal angesehen aber in dieser Version des Aschenputteltypus können die Leute ein Mädchen welches sie wer weiß wie oft gesehen haben auch nicht erkennen nur weil sie andere Kleider trägt (denkt an Superman, Sailor Moon und He-Man wenn ihr entsprechende Beispiele sucht). Es ist eine netter kleine Geschichte aber wie viele alte Märchen noch ausbaufähig (vor allem das Element der magischen Kuhhaut welche weitervererbt wird wäre gut für eine moderne Fantasiegeschichte).

2) English Review
Receipt to become a cow:
Take three vines and wound them three times around your ankles, three times around the wrists and three times around the head and you become a cow. Anyone wants to test it?

This was a typical fairytale, with all the pros and cons that come with it. The magic (like the above) is considered totally normal but this version of the Cinderella type also has people who have known her for God knows how long and yet they still cannot recognize her just because she has new clothes (think of Superman, Sailor Moon and He-Man if you want to look at similar examples=. It is a nice little story but like so many old fairy tales it does need some work (especially the element of the magical cowhide that is passed down through the generations would make for a good modern fantasy tale).

[Ricky Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think the book was really good it was similar to the original Cinderella except it took place in Thai Land but everything was mostly the same or very similar like instead of a prince it was a traveler but Jauanah went to the festival and she also had to get home before her more to but as she left she dropped her shoe just like the original Cinderella did the the traveler tried to find her but he couldnt and then he went through all of the town n searched for who could fit the shoe and eventually he the traveler will show up at Jouanah house and when he did the step sister tried the shoe but it did not fit n when he saw Jouanah it said in the book that they both knew that the shoe was going to fit her but even when they knew they still tried it on anyways then they both left together got married and they step sister and mother argue and fight all the time and makes things miserable for them self's and Jouanah and her husband lived happily ever after!

[Jacoba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn (1996)
Genre: Folklore
Format: Picture Book
Plot summary: After Jouanah's mother turns herself into a cow to provide for the family, Jouanah's father remarries to a nasty woman with a selfish daughter. The cow dies of grief, and Jouanah's father soon follows. Her mother's spirit returns to her though, and dresses her finely for the new years celebration where she meets the village elder's son.
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory : themes of death.
Review citation (if available)Margaret A. Chang, School Library Journal, March 01, 1997
Section source used to find the material: School Library Journal
Recommended age: 1st-3rd grade.

[Amy Schmitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story provides an interesting spin on the traditional Cinderella. Jouanah's mother turns into a cow to help her father plow the fields. When her father gets remarried, Jounah's stepmother and stepsister make her life miserable. She is forced to take care of the house and do a lot of chores. The beautiful Jouanah finally escapes after she meets her prince charming at the new years festival. This is a great way to bring different cultures into your classroom. This story introduces students to some elements of the Hmong culture through a story that is familiar to them. Different versions of Cinderella would be great for comparing and contrasting texts and cultures. Each culture provides elements that they find important and create their own twist to the story.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girls family was poor and her mother asked here husband to be the cow to work their fields. So she turned into a cow and the fields were grate but the husband selfishly kept her a cow and remarried. The cow died and the daughter was a server to the step mom well there was festival happening and she could not go but she went to her sewing basket to find a price of the cow it created jewels and a outfit . She went to it and the prince was in love with her but the step mom rushed home angry so she had to leave to and get the food ready but she lost her show the prince searches for the owner of it. And comes across her house but she refuses to try it because her step mom would be mad. So the prince was asked to stay for dinner but he knew it was her and they left and married with eachother

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was a very interesting take on the traditional cinderella story. It follows the life of Jouanah (a Hmong girl) stuck in the role of Cinderella. Her father turns the mother in to a cow, and marries another woman who becomes her 'evil stepmother'. Jouanah attends a festival where she meets her true love and might finally escape the grasp of her stepmother. This would be a great way to discuss how different cultures can perceive the same story. This also might be an option for using in your classroom if you have some Hmong students; however, be careful that it will not offend any of the students and that others will take the story seriously.

[Meltha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jouanah's mother becomes cow, and when her step-mother becomes too jealous of the young girl, she orders the cow's death, though thankfully the cow, apparently hearing about this, dies of a broken heart rather than her husband killing her (I think I may dislike this version of the father more than any other one with the exception of the one in Angkat, who's actually guilty of murder). Jouanah's fairy godmother is technically her mother's sewing box. I'm pretty sure there's a message there about industry and skills passed from mother to daughter. The illustrations are lovely and apparently very well researched for cultural accuracy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In certain studies of literature, I’ve helped students study different cultures through experiences with various Cinderella stories. I’ve read several books about the Hmong culture and love this book because it holds some of those cultural parts, like the great respect for elders and the idea that spirits guide us in our daily lives. There is much to discuss in this book and to compare with other Cinderella stories. Illustrations of the beautiful costumes and traditions of the village celebrations are filled with details.

[Amanda V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting spin on the traditional Cinderella. When the spirit of Jouanah's mother gives her new clothes to wear to the festival, she meets the man of her dreams and can escape her cruel stepmother. Great to show students differences between stories and to give new perspectives on various cultures.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jouanah's mother is turned into a cow to help the family farm succeed. The father marries another woman who has a child about Jouanah's age. The stepmother is intensely jealous. Enchanted cowhide (mother) provides beautiful clothing for child to participate in the festival.

[Lisa Rathbun]

Great version of Cinderella. Lovely way to include multiculturism in your classroom. (Pictures are beautiful but a slightly "vague" for me. I like my art crisp and clean-lined.) Instead of a fairy godmother, Jouanah's mother's spirit inspires and helps her.

[Audrey Harlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book puts a different spin on the traditional Cinderella story by tying in traditional Hmong elements. This is good book to read alongside the Cinderella story we all know and love.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's similar to the stories that my mom told me and the movies I'd watched. And the art in the book is really beautiful!

[Melissa Housholder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twist on the classic Cinderella. Jouanah has to deal with her mother being transformed into something other than her mother and her father moving on. Wonderful story!

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was very well written and was well illustrated!

[Anthonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little tale that i enjoyed reading. Another great addition to the Cinderella books. A must read for kids. A great story for kids.