Cinderella

by Barbara Ensor

I know, I know. You’ve heard the story a million times before. Mean stepmother. Lots of sweeping. Fancy ball. You remember. Or do you? Did you remember that Cinderella was such a nice girl—so smart and funny? You probably would’ve liked her. Did you know that “Cinderella” was just a nickname? And that her handsome prince loved Jell-o and was a wonderful dancer?

Readers will delight in following Cinderella through all the usual happenings, presented in a most unusual way. And they’ll finally see what becomes of her after she marries the prince. So maybe you should hear the story one last time. Because it’s actually way different than you might have thought. . . .

Kids who have outgrown picture books and are ready for something longer—but still love illustrated texts—will gravitate toward this Cinderella , which was an IRA-CBC Children's Choice selection. Black-and-white silhouettes of everything from the ugly stepsisters to Cinderella’s slipper (actual size) are intermingled with Cinderella’s letters to her recently deceased mother in this totally original package. And don't miss the companion book to this fairy-tale reboot: Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride .

Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Cinderella, Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Retellings

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Liz]

This was a waste of the good paper on which it was printed.

[Jane G Meyer]

My daughter pulled this book off the bookstore shelf, probably because of the bright orange cover, and read it in an hour. So I picked it up in order that she and I might be able to talk about it later--it's one of the quickest reads of all time. I think it took me less than 45 minutes to get through.
Anyway, it's the re-telling of Cinderella from the original text, but in modern, very modern, language. I found the book entertaining, but all in all wouldn't recommend spending the money on this version. Though much of the books' appeal comes from the interior spot art, my daughter thought that the illustrations were done by a child, and didn't appreciate their style.
She and I haven't yet found the time to talk about the story--I'm imagining though, that the book may explain why she was prancing around in dress-up clothes last night for the first time in a long time...

[Nicole]

This version of Cinderella blends some elements of modern language and activities with the traditional story. I found the black and white pictures and text layout (some at artistic angles) more distracting than enhancing.

The redeeming feature was the fun use of language:
"But with Cinderella's entrance into the ballroom, everything stopped. The threads of conversation snapped, violin strings stopped vibrating, and even loud colors fell silent. Not a medal or a monocle glistened, not an ostrich feather wavered..."

"Yikes!" Cinderella gasped, her royal syntax falling away. The prince was too busy helping a blob of emerald green Jell-O onto a spoon to notice her dashing out. Neither did anyone else as they moonwalked and lollygagged across the floor."

Overall a fun, FAST read.

[Abby Rose]

I love Cinderella, and Cinderella retellings.

But as an author who WORKS MY BUTT OFF, trying desperately to get an agent so I can get published, I feel kind of resentful of this book.

Simply because it seems that NO EFFORT was put into this at all. All they did was retell the SAME STORY EVERYONE KNOWS IN A SNARKIER TONE WITH EASIER WORDS FOR LITTLE KIDS.

Yet this is on shelves for the world to see while my original works of Fantasy wait unread by the public. God, life is so unfair.

[Jenn]

I love Cinderella. It's one of my favourite fairy tales. However this book wasn't a retelling. It was the same story with artwork, and a let down. But I love Cinderella enough it had to get two stars and I did like the part about them being different.

[Lisa Rathbun]

This is a cute story, a short, easy read, but I found it rather predictable. There wasn't much new added to the story; I've read a lot of fairy tale alternatives that add a unique take on a familiar tale, but for me, this one didn't. The prince's "insight" about his parents had potential, but then it went nowhere, and Cinderella's demand that her father and stepmother clean up after the pigs smacked of the "reeducation" of the professional classes that Asians despots instituted in the last century. OK, that last might be a bit strong, but I just didn't get the sudden concern for animals on the part of Cinderella and the prince. Her journal to her mother made her sound like a child so her sudden interest in balls and getting married seemed a not entirely credible development. The story was very anachronistic (she played soccer but also went to the ball in a horse-drawn coach) without being charmingly eccentric. Sometimes the silouetted illustrations were fun (like the true-to-life-size shoe), and sometimes they were annoying (like her bland outfit for the ball). In my case I've read too many Cinderella tales to find this particularly appealing, but I do think a twelve year old might enjoy this simple, sometimes slightly humorous retelling.

[sarabi]

I read the book Cinderella (as if you didn’t already know the story) by Barbara Ensor. The main characters are Cinderella, her stepmom and her stepsisters. The setting is in a village .the story’s conflict is that Cinderella’s father marries another woman. She becomes Cinderella’s stepmother and makes Cinderella do everything around the house. Cinderella’s father does not have time to notice, because of his work.

One thing that made me think more about what was happening in the book was the fact that the prince hade said that if he would not marry another woman. If he didn’t marry Cinderella he would not get married. The prince thought that Cinderella was the one for him and he committed him self to find Cinderella. He went to every village, town, city that was near. He thought he would not find her at the end he finds her and he does get married. This part interested me a lot.

[Terrie]

Your basic Cinderella story told with modern language and silhouette illustrations. I read it in about 20 minutes. There were two new thoughts- 1st- The Prince liked Cinderella even more when he found out she wasn't royalty and all hoity-toity like his parents wanted him to be. 2nd- Cinderella's father doesn't die and her stepfamily is not as cruel as the typical version. Also she writes letters to her dead mother. Personally I wasn't too impressed.

[Stefanie]

Cringey.

[Holly Letson]

I really enjoyed this retelling of *Cinderella*, which was similar to others I have read yet still different.

[Bee]

Cute book! I always love a Cinderella story. I definitely agree with the sentiment that the illustrations took away from it. And the book itself was awkward to hold a read. But it's pretty cute. Exactly what it is meant to be, I just don't think I'll want to reread it any time soon. Good not fantastic.

[Yani]

This is no way a masterpiece nor original but I didn’t expect it to be. It’s a children’s retelling of Cinderella in which she writes letters to her mom and even illustrates what is happening.
My nieces and I had a good time reading it together. The little ones enjoyed the story and drawings and the eldest learned some new vocabulary.

[Nia F. S. Kartadilaga]

A retold version of Cinderella, filled with pictures in silhouette, and in fun and funny naration; basically it's for children and teenager, so yeah, it's really a simple story and no expectation is needed.

[Sarah]

This was a random book Megan found and wanted me to read, and we got through it really fast. It's a fun little read though it is just the Cinderella story in a modern tone for kids. I liked the letters to her mom throughout the book.

Overall enjoyable but nothing new or amazing.

[Karina Enriquez]

The synopsis promises a Cinderella that’s different than you might have thought, but the story fails the promise.

The story fell flat. There weren’t any updates to the plot or any significant changes to the characters. It’s a hard pass for me.

[Ashleigh]

Cute and silly but little substance. Even as a kid, I can see this being an easy read that's fluffy but doesn't lead to much thought. No real standouts in any direction.

Content warning for child neglect.

[Danielle]

This certainly was a quick read, as the cover suggests. It didn't quite meet my expectations. There was some potential and a few elements here and there of what I hoped for, but in the end, I felt it could have been better.

[Brooke]

Elementary to middle school aged read. Took me about 45 min.
Not bad but there’s nothing really different from the original Cinderella story. 2 stars because as a 5th or 6th grader, I’m sure this would be good

[Emma]

A short and sweet twist on the story of Cinderella.

[Heather]

Liv was doing a study on Cinderella at school, so we decided to read this aloud (again) as a fun version. It’s cute, but I still like her version of Thumbelina more.

[Alice]

It was a great bedtime read for my eight-year-old campers.

[Jean Doolittle]

A quick little read

[Shauna]

Fairytales with a little flair are always a treat

A short story, a fun quick read. Interesting facts at the end. I enjoyed the modern realistic language and storyline.

[Jackie]

Cinderella (As If You Didn’t Already Know the Story is a modern(ish) retelling of the class fairy tale. A quick read with dark illustrations.

[Arianna]

not my type of book.

[Elle Hartford]

A fun, very quick read, augmented with illustrations and journal entries. Definitely aimed at younger audiences, but funny and sweet enough to entertain others too!

[Emma Dorothy]

It really made me understand Cinderella more

[Jane Stucki]

COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN!!! Highly recommend!!!

[Gabriela Compres]

Cinderella by Barbara Ensor was an interesting one. It stayed true to the folk tale, yet had parts that showed some originality. Something I liked was that in this retelling of the story, Cinderella's mom isn't dead and Cinderella writes her letters about everything that is going on. It was like reading the gossip between a mother and a daughter, haha. Overall, it was just a nice and easy read.

[Meltha]

This is a humorous rendition of Cinderella, occasionally poking fun at some of the inconsistencies in the story as well as placing it in a non-specific time period (balls and footmen and golf and light switches). It's amusing and fun, but I kept waiting for it to go a bit deeper. Her footnote at the end about alternate versions of the story is an interesting teaser. Again, I would have liked a bit more there too.