Cendrillon

by Michèle Marineau, Mylene Pratt (Illustrator)

Voici à quoi pourrait ressembler l'histoire de Cendrillon, si celle-ci vivait à notre époque. Un conte qui ne se démode pas.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Michèle Marineau est une romancière québécoise. Elle a ensuite amorcé une double carrière de traductrice et d'auteure de livres pour la jeunesse.

Michèle Marineau is a two-time Governor General’s Award winner. Marineau studied medicine, art history, and translation at the University of Montreal before she became a writer. After she began writing, she started translating the works of other authors. Her first novel, Cassiopée: L’été polonais, was published in 1988. Her books have been translated and published in Canada, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain.

Reviews

[Library Lady Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

More modern retelling with Cinderella getting to the ball in a car and being called Cynthia. Possibly more ethical version since the coachmen and horses were made out of things like a tomato, raisins, and yogurt.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute, modern take on a favorite classic

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a modern retelling of the classic Cinderella story written by Michele Marineau and Mylene pratt. The main character is Cynthia who lives in the city with her widowed father. He falls in loves with and marries an unkind woman who brings her two lazy daughters to live with them. While Cynthia does all the housework they just watch TV and sleep. They start to call her Cinderella because after working so hard all day she curls up in front of the fireplace with only the cinders to keep her company. When the king throws a grand ball to which the whole family is invited Cynthia cannot go because as her stepmother says “she has too much to do.” Her long forgotten fairy godmother sees how depressed Cynthia is and sets her up for the ball. She is driven there in a tomato car by a dog driver. She leaves the ball right at midnight after dancing all night with the prince. As she runs out she loses her shoe. The prince retrieves it and hangs signs up looking for the owner of the lost shoe. After going through endless feet he finds the owner and they marry.

I liked the modern components of this story. The modern day city setting with the lazy stepsisters watching TV all day was different. I think that kids could use this as a reference if they were writing their own retelling of a traditional story.

[Leann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a confusing story. It's supposed to be modernized, in a city, and there are television and high-rises. But there's still a king. And the sisters are referred to as both half-sisters and stepsisters at different points, so that's just bad editing. Doesn't really add anything to the hundreds of existing Cinderella stories.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My little boys and I found the drawings of pantyhose about to be put on and pink panties on the following page unnecessary and distracting. Other than that, it was a fun variation of the classic story.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My girls loved that she drove in a tomato car with a dog for a driver! Cute story!

[Gabrielle Neufeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of a modern Cinderella. This book is funny because all of Cinderella's coach and things are made out of stuff she and the Fairy Godmother find in the refrigerator. I will give this book 4 stars.

Grade Equivalent: 2.5
Lexile: 600L