Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella

by Myrna J. De La Paz (Adapter), Youshan Tang (Illustrator)

A variation on the Cinderella story set in the Philippines.

Genres: Picture Books, Cinderella, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Folklore, Folk Tales, Fairy Tale Retellings

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Amalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name: Abadeha : the Philippine Cinderella
Genre: Fairy Tale/Folk Lore
Version: Philippine culture

Cinderella: Abadeha / Kitchen Princess
Magical element/"fairy godmother": The Spirit of the Forest
Glass Slipper: a ring
The ball: Visit to see the Island's chieftain's son cure him.
Message: Kindness, patience, and hard work will be rewarded one day.

[JADE · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was magical ✨💫 definitely not your ordinary Cinderella story.

[MeganM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myrna J. de la Paz. Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella (2001). Accessed from Palatine Public Library.

"Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella" by Myrna J. de la Paz is a beautiful and culturally resonant adaptation of the classic Cinderella story. Set in the Philippines, the book transports readers to a world filled with the rich traditions, beliefs, and values of Filipino culture. Through the compelling narrative, readers are introduced to the resilient and kind-hearted Abadeha, who captures the essence of the Philippines' strong sense of community and the importance of family ties. There are indigenous Filipino elements, such as the mystical figures of the Sarimanok and the Tikbalang, providing a fresh and unique twist to the traditional Cinderella tale. In this story, her mom dies when she is 13, her father remarries, her father dies, and then she is forced to work for her stepmother. Her stepmother asks her to do near-impossible tasks and each time Abadeha prays for help and then different spirits come to help her. There was a massive difference in how she met the prince in this story versus the Disney retelling. For example, the prince finds her magical tree that has jewelry on it. He steals her ring and it becomes stuck. She is the only one who can remove it and then he decides to marry her.

What makes "Abadeha" particularly special is its emphasis on Filipino traditions, folklore, and values. The book celebrates the importance of respect for elders, the significance of the natural world, and the Filipino concept of "Bayanihan" – the spirit of communal unity and cooperation. Through its captivating storytelling and beautifully detailed illustrations, the book not only entertains but also educates readers about the cultural richness of the Philippines. "Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella" is a must-read for anyone looking to explore diverse world cultures and to appreciate the universal themes of kindness, inner beauty, and resilience, as seen through the lens of Filipino heritage. It is a gem that deserves a place on the bookshelves of all who value cultural diversity and the magic of storytelling.

I would recommend this book to elementary-aged students (3-4th). After reviewing multiple versions from other cultures myself, I actually think this would be an engaging activity to do with students. They can make summary anchor charts of the different versions. Discuss all the similarities and differences. There is so much to discuss and learn through the different folklore versions.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abadeha was different from the traditional Cinderella story. Abadeha’s mother did die, her father remarried, brought home a wife and two stepdaughters, but did not die. He was away during the time of Abadeha’s torture. The step mother would mistreat and threaten her with whippings, but being kind, the spirits would help her. They rewarded Abadeha with a magic tree that would grow jewels. One day, the son of the island chieftain found the tree and offered some gifts in return for a ring. The son put the ring on but it became too tight so that it brought him pain. After the father tried everything to help his son, there was nothing he could do. Until a dream told the son that a beautiful girl would be able to remove the ring and Abadeha was that girl. Then Abadeha’s father returned, Abadeha married the son, and her stepmother and sisters were sent to work in the chicken yard.
The illustrations gave detail of the traditional Philipine clothes. This spin of Cinderella was surprising and refreshing. I like how similar yet different it is with the presence of the different spirits that guided her during her tough time.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Abadeha" tells a story similar to the one we know under the title "Cindirella" but it takes place in the Philippines. For some, it might not be obvious to consider this a multicultural read. I believe that if it is present right, it has a wealth of multicultural lessons to be learned. I wouldn't recommend using this book with early elementary students as it isn't as gentle as we would expect. I believe it can be a good read for middle school students. As a teacher, if I would choose to use this book for multicultural education purposes, I would pair it up with a few more of the same topic, Chinese Cinderella, Persian Cinderella, etc. I would follow up with a discussion on similarities and differences of these stories. There is a lot of cultural, geographical, traditional information in this book, which we would not find in the other versions. The main idea stays the same, good values are better than greed and viciousness regardless if you are from Philippines, US, or any other part of the world.

[Miri Gifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably actually one of my favorite versions of the Cinderella story. Instead of losing a shoe and having the prince go looking for her, Abadeha actually has to save the prince; the test is that the woman who can get the enchanted ring off his finger is the one he will marry. The illustrations are great, too, and I really like the cultural setting.

[Katie Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an adaptation of the folklore tale of Cinderella. The author made it a Philippine version of Cinderella, including the illustrations and terminology. Abadeha was "Cinderella" in the story and became a Philippine princess at the end. Her mother died in the beginning of the story and her father remarried a widow with two daughters. It followed the same basic plot as the traditional Cinderella story except the fairy godmother was the Spirit of the Forest. Then at the end, the son of the island chieftain ends up taking a ring from an enchanted tree and Abadeha was the only one who could take the ring off and stop his pain. This book would be perfect for fourth graders to notice literary features (foreshadowing, metaphors, illusions, etc.) and also to incorporate multicultural literature in the classroom. Another way this could be used in the classroom is to reinforce the reading strategy of asking questions. Students could read this book and make notes about questions they have that can later be researched. I know as I read this book I had a lot of questions about certain cultural elements of the story that I didn't know much about. I thought this was a WOW book because it really is so rich in culture and I love how at the end of the story the girl is the one who has to "save" the prince, not the other way around.

Not an E-text.

[Kayden North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella retells the classic fairy-tale of Cinderella using traditional Filipino imagery and symbolism. By including this book in a classroom library, particularly in grades 3-5, it exposes students to a new culture that they may not be familiar with or allows Filipino students to see themselves in the classroom. The colorful images and connection to a classic story many students will have read or seen will appeal to students of all backgrounds. Abadeha could be used in any number of lessons about diversity and traditions in different parts of the world as well as help students make connections between other societies and our own. It would also be interesting to include in a lesson about how folk tales change based on where they are told. Personally, I learned so much about what is important in Filipino culture from reading this picture book and that is what made it truly special for me. It is critical that we include a variety of experiences within the literature in our classrooms so that students will hopefully grow to be more understanding of others.

[Kathryn M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abadeha, our Cinderella character, suffers from the cruelness of her stepmother and stepfamily who were jealous of her. They gave her chores and treated her terribly, in typical fairy tale fashion, even threatening to whip her if she doesn’t do her chores well enough. She goes to the water and prays to her mother, but is greeted by the beautiful spirit of the forest and several other spirits (her own “fairy godmothers”). The spirits assisted in her impossible chores, protecting her from the violence that her stepmother threatens. The magic in the spirits’ abilities makes for a creative story that reminded me (in addition of course to Cinderella) of Rumplestilskin- impossible tasks become possible to save our protagonist from the evil antagonist. I enjoyed the Philippine-inspired details in this story, however I think the story was a bit long and may be more engaging for upper elementary-middle grades rather than primary grades. I accessed this book through Epic.

[Taylor Relacion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Filipino retelling of Cinderella. Abadeha is a young girl who's father remarries and her stepmother treats her poorly, makes her work, and threatens to hurt her. The stepmother kills her per Sarimanok. Abadeha is helped by the spirit of the forest who tells her to bury her chickens feet and from it a tree with treasures grew. A prince comes upon the treasure and a ring gets stuck on his finger. Abadeha was the only one who could remove the ring. It ends with marriage. I would say that this book is for older grades such as 5th through 8th because it is pretty content heavy.
I would use this in my classroom because it is a goof multicultural read, it can be used to introduce the topic of culture and I know that it will be able to connect with students of Filipino descent. I enjoyed this book because I am Filipino and I have never read a book that connects to my Filipino culture.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book when searching for other cultural variations on the Cinderella story and ended up finding a version being read on YouTube. The book comes alive with vivid, beautifully drawn illustrations. I felt reading it that it was very similar to the traditional story of Cinderella but had details that made the reader feel more at home in the Filipino culture, such as the tasks the evil stepmother (who was truly terrible) had Abadeha do. For example, she forced her to reweave a mat for drying rice that a pig had destroyed. The “magic” figure in this tale as well as how the prince comes into play is a bit different than the traditional Cinderella story, but the ultimate theme of goodness and kindness prevailing is still there.

[Hannah]

This is gorgeous to look at and I love how much it reminds me of the version of the western Cinderella where she visits the tree at her mother's grave, not just the more cartoonish version we know better. I'm also always here for a story where the girl rescues the prince.

[Mc Erl]

What I enjoy most about this book is the fact that it was not set in a modern timeframe or society, but set in the native parts of the Philippines that are not highlighted in popculture.

[Lisa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading different versions of Cinderella. In this version there is no glass slipper but a ring. I liked that the father of Cinderella came back and divorced the step mom.

[Caitlyn]

This was one of my favorite versions of Cinderella that I have read.

[Amanda Walz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful Cinderella story. I haven't read this one before. I really enjoyed how different this story is yet the same as the ones I have already read.

[Katie Merkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are beautiful. I also like the twist where the prince needs Abadeha's help to remove a too small ring from his finger instead of his looking for the maiden with the tiny foot.

[Kobe Khylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

non

[Heizel Sayenga]

educational purposes

[Askana Ammara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is seemed simmilar like Cinderella story.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful traditional story and illustrations.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely version of Cinderella, with a story that is very familiar, but with local differences and lovely thoughts. Great edition.

[(NS) Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tale of a young girl named Abadeha who grew up in the Phillapines. The story has beautiful pictures that seemed authentic to the Phillapino culture, along with different customs (such as sleeping on the floor) that represent phillapinos as well. The story focuses a lot on her loss of her mother and the pain she is feeling, which never really gets discussed in great detail in the traditional Cinderella. Instead of fairies, there are "spirits" who help to make Abadeha's life slightly more bareable. Magic is interwoven throughout the story to create a very mystical and fairy-tale like story as the girl searches for love with the Island prince. The plot is similar to Cinderella, but readers have to search deeper to find the comparisons and understand why this is the Korean version of the tale. It is definitely a parallel story and the comparisons are there, but it takes a little more work to find it.

[(NS) Brea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abadeha is a Filipino Cinderella story written by Myrna J. de la Paz. Manila born Paz grew up in a town where indigenous culture and spiritual beliefs were practiced right along with Christianity. Perhaps this exposure to tradition motivated her to write such a culturally rich tale. In the author’s notes, Myrna J. de la Paz explains how her story is a reconstruction of the Cinderella story from traditional Philippine folklore. The original folk literature disappeared after years of Spanish colonization and a century of Americanization. Abadeha is written with amazing authenticity. Even the title page is written in Alibata which is an ancient and forgotten system of writing. Every element of this story reflects the Filipino culture and spirituality, from the traditional obedient daughter as a main character to the mystical unfolding of events.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instead of a fairy godmother, ,we get the Spirit of the Forest. We also have Abadeha (Cinderella) praying to the Creator of the Earth and the Spirits of her ancestors.

From the Western Cinderella tradition, strangest change is probably the tree that grows treasure.

Instead of hosting a ball, the prince finds the treasure tree and takes a ring off of it. However, it gets stuck on his finger. A dream tells him of a girl who can remove the ring. His father decrees he will marry that girl.

So, Abadeha has never met the prince until he proposes to her.

The illustrations include drawings of the fantastically detailed clothing.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Originally reviewed in May 2015)

I hadn’t even known about this book until I discovered it on a shelf in Daly City library where they serve a large Filipino demographic. It was interesting to see all the differences from the more familiar fairy tale. Instead of the fairy godmother, there’s the Spirit of the Forest. Instead of the Prince finding her shoe after a ball, he finds a ring in her magical garden (unbeknownst to him) and she must find him to save him. This makes me want to read other countries’ Cinderella stories!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another cultural tale of Cinderella. The major similarity between this book, the other books and our traditional tale is the hard work Adadeha (Cinderella) has to do, all at hands of a stepmother. The fairy godmother is her dead mother in heaven sending treasures and dreams instead of wishes. The prince looks for a woman that can remove a ring that is stuck on his finger, not a glass slipper. He finds Adadeha and they live happily ever after.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

De La Paz shoehorns the Cinderella story into a Philippines setting. It sort of works, but I think a better story would have been to showcase an actual legend of the Philippines if the author wanted to bring more cultural awareness about the country to others.

[Jordan Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

asda

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another multicultural Cinderella book I bought with money donated by an Esperanza board member for our Esperanza library. These multicultural books are so wonderful!