Ashpet: An Appalachian Tale

by Joanne Compton, Kenn Compton (Illustrator)

Long ago, in a cabin by Eagle's Nest Mountain, lived a servant girl called Ashpet. All day long, she cooked and cleaned for Widow Hooper and her cranky daughters. Ashpet had so much work to do, the widow wouldn't even allow her to go to the annual church picnic. Ashpet's life changes for the better, however, when old Granny shows up and works some magic. How Ashpet outshines the widow's daughters and captures the heart of the doctor's son ends this flavorful Appalachian Cinderella tale. Winner: 1994 Juvenile Literature Award Association of American Women/NC Chapter

Genres: Cinderella, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Fairy Tales, Retellings

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Mary Catelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

An American Cinderella variant, starting with her being the hired girl, and getting aid after being tested by a magical being. Shorter than some variants of this I have read. Illustrations are perfunctory.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashpet, an indentured servant in the home of the capricious and cruel Widow Hooper, and her two lazy daughters, Myrtle and Ethel, was made to work from morning till night, and hidden away - because of her superior beauty - whenever visitors came to call. When the annual Eagle's Nest Mountain church meeting, held every year after the harvest, comes around, Ashpet is left behind, and told to clean the house. Fortunately, her kindness to Granny, a local elder and witch-woman, results in some much-needed magic, and Ashpet attends the meeting after all, dressed in a beautiful red calico dress, with matching red shoes. There she attracts the attention of the local doctor's son, who, when Ashpet disappears, uses her shoe to trace her...

This Appalachian variant of the classic Cinderella story, which was recorded by Richard Chase in his 1948 collection, Grandfather Tales , is retold in picture-book form by Joanne and Kenn Compton, whose other folkloric picture-books include Sody Sallyratus and Jack the Giant Chaser . The language used is colloquial, and many of the details of the story have been adapted to the (past and present) realities of Appalachian life: Cinderella is a "hired-out" girl here, the prince is a doctor's son, and the ball a church meeting. The artwork is humorous, in a cartoon-like way that, although not really my "cup of tea," works well with the story. A brief foreword gives more information about the background of the story, which is something I always look for in folk and fairy-tale retellings. I was interested to see that the Chinese variant of this tale, Yeh-Shen , is credited as the first recorded version - this is a claim I have seen in a number of places - as the ancient Egyptian story of Rhodopis (see: The Egyptian Cinderella for a retelling) predates it by many centuries.

Leaving aside this (sadly) all-too common error in the foreword, Ashpet is an engaging picture-book, offering a different take on a familiar and much-loved story. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers looking for Cinderella variants.

[Jacoba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ashpet: An Appalachian Tale by Joanne Compton (1994)
Genre: Folklore
Format: Picture book
Plot summary: Ashpet is the Appalachian retelling of Cinderella. Ashpet is an orphan servant girl who has to do all the chores for an ungrateful widow and her two daughters. The widow's mother sees how good Ashpet is and uses her magical powers to transform Ashpet into the most beautiful girl in the village in time for the big church service and picnic and catches the eye of the villages most eligible bachelor.
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: some religious overtones.
Review citation: Barbara Chatton, School Library Journal, Jan94, Vol. 40, p117, 1p
Section source used to find the material: School Library Jornal
Recommended age:Grades 1-3

[Meltha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing little version of the story. Here the shoes are red (Andersen would have a heart attack), and the fairy is an old mountain woman. Also, Ashpet is a bound servant as opposed to an orphan, so the mother and her daughters are no kin to her at all, and the prince as the doctor's son. Interestingly, the little detail of hiding the girl, in this case under a washtub, seems to hark back to the stepmother in the Persian version hiding her out back in the oven. A crow also plays a very small role in this, though there isn't a specific explanation for why. Overall, a decent version, and bonus points for use of the word skedaddled.

[Haley Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a spin off of the fairy tale Cinderella. Ashpet is a servant for a lady and her two daughters. Just like in Cinderlla, the mother and the two daughters are mean to Ashpet, and make her do all of the chores. One day, Ashpet meets a handsome boy and falls in love.

I would recommend this book! It is well written, and the students would really enjoy the slang that is used.

This book would be useful for teaching compare and contrast. Ashpet could be compared/contrasted to Cinderella.

[(NS) Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a humorous Applachian version of Cinderella. The plot was the same, but the events leading to Cinderella getting help were quite different. The author paints a clear picture of what Ashpet's life is like as a servant girl in the mountains. She is treated poorly, much like Cinderella is in the traditional tale. However, she is not related to the family she lives with. Instead of going to a ball she wants to go to a Church Meeting. The granny takes her under her wing and appears to use some magical powers to "whip" up a dress for Ashpet to wear to the outing. In the end, Ashpet shocks the whole church by showing up all beautiful and winning over the "doctor's son."

This was a very interesting twist on Cinderella. It told me a little bit about the way life is in the Appalacians, but it sort of made me feel like there was too much negativity and stereotyping going on in the story. Also, the vocabulary is a little difficult so I would read this book for upper-elementary rather than lower. I think that the older readers might be able to draw the comparisons to Cinderella more readily than younger students, since the events really are very different from the exact events in the traditional Cinderella.

[(NS) Brea M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashpet is an Appalachian Tale of Cinderella retold by Joanne Compton and illustrated by Kenn Compton. Ashpet is a hired worker of Widow Hooper and her two daughters, Myrtle and Ethel. With the help of an old woman who lives up the hill, Ashpet magically finishes her chores, finds a fabulous red dress and makes her way to the big church meeting. Widow Hooper and her daughters do not recognize Asphet as she catches the eye of the doctor’s son. They take an evening stroll and Asphet decides she needs to get home so she leaves her shoe in a bush and runs away when the doctor’s son goes to look for it. As expected, he finds Ashpet and marries her. Widow Hooper and her daughters are humiliated and chased out of town by all the neighbors. This story attempts to portray old Applachian life but may lack authenticity. However, younger readers ages 4-8 would enjoy the simple language and funny looking cartoon looking characters.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Cinderella, but instead of being an unloved daughter of a wicked stepmother, she is the hired help to an unkind widow. Ashpet lives in the Appalachian area. The flow of the story is fun, as well as the language. I enjoyed looking at the story of Cinderella from a different perspective, with similar results. This retelling bears the culture of the area, bringing newness (to me, anyway) to a well-known story.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Appalachian version of Cinderella was recorded as early as 1948. This tale tries to mimic Appalachian dialec. Pictures compliment the text. Ashpet is hired out to Widow Hooper and her two daughters. Old Granny takes the place of the fairy godmother and a doctor's son that of the prince.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this Appalachian American Cinderalla story. It is light-hearted, funny, and original. It screams of the culture.

(Modern Fantasy)

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute tale with fun illustrations. I liked the author's note in the front, Ashpet is possibly from Aschenputtel, from the Brother's Grimm

[Turrean · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite versions of the Cinderella story, this Appalachian tale is told in a breezy, genial way, accompanied by comic illustrations of the folk of Eagle's Nest Mountain.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations, though effectively comical, didn't seem appropriate for a Cinderella tale, which is all about beauty and clothes.

[Briony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this different perspective on Cinderella. Ashpet is not the traditionally beautiful Cinderella but considered ordinary.