Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story

by Maggie Rudy

With intricate dioramas, Maggie Rudy's Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story retells the classic fairy tale--with a modern twist!

Sootypaws the mouse toils all day for her wicked steprats. But with some moon magic and a little help from her woodland friends, Sootypaws finds her way to the ball to meet her Prince--will they live mousily ever after?

Sootypaws features stunning hand-built diorama art, including hand-sewn outfits and an environment that is beautifully constructed and filled with charming details. Posed and photographed, these characters come to life!

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Folk Tales, Romance

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Maggie Rudy has been making mice and their worlds for 25 years. Her father was a biologist and her mother and grandmother were artists, so her childhood was full of nature outings and making things. She spent part of her childhood living in England, where she encountered her first felt mice in a Lancaster toyshop, and visited Beatrix Potter's farm in a formative third-grade field trip.

Maggie's first picture book was published in 2011, and her illustration style is unique and according to Booklist, "squeal-inducing". To create the pictures she builds 3D characters and scenes, mostly with salvaged materials, and photographs them as miniature stage sets. Her work stars mice and other small woodland creatures, and is firmly grounded in the natural world. She says, "I believe that young children have an innate affinity with nature and it's my desire to kindle and sustain that connection through humor, appealing characters and detailed,gorgeous pictures".

After the publication of each book, the completed scenes travel with Maggie to be displayed in bookstore windows, where they are a major attraction with children and their parents.

Maggie works in her home studio in the woods in Portland, Oregon, where her creatures and sets will soon overtake her house.

Reviews

[Kaity ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanted to read this because of the artistry/photography of these precious animals and I loved it! This was such a cute story and the work put into the scenes setup, clothing, character creation is so evident. So beautiful! 🐭 🌹❤️

[Jennica Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best parts of being a bookseller is coming across gems like this one that could have otherwise flown under my radar. It is an utterly charming Cinderella retelling, with touches of the original story that are often forgotten. Sootypaws' ending, though, is much more my idea of happily-ever-after. Add to that images straight out of my childhood dreams, and Maggie Rudy's Sootypaws has a well-earned place in my heart.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the favorite of the ones I read to Alena today. Maggie Rudy's mice and other creatures are so interesting. Yes, this is a retelling of the Cinderella story, but she does it in an original way with a unique ending that I like very much.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

With photographs of dioramas created from felt and found materials, this picture book twists the classic Cinderella tale in an appealing way. Sootypaws has had a hard life. Having lost her mother to a cat and being forced to wait on her stepsisters hand and foot, the sweet little mouse takes refuge in befriending various animals and treating them kindly. When her stepmother and stepsister go to the prince's ball, she is, of course, left behind. But not for long. Instead, her animal friends, including a frog, a spider, a moth, and a bluebird, make sure that she has what she needs to attend the ball. She even has a pair of slippers with rose-thorn heels. When the prince meets her and is enchanted, Sootypaws' dreams have all come true. But she must leave the ball quickly before the magic fades. In her haste, she leaves behind one of those shoes. In a fine twist on the original story, the prince searches for Sootypaws and brings along that shoe to see if it will fit. Her stepsisters try to get the shoe to fit, but it simply won't. Sootypaws hears all this to-do and reveals herself. But she doesn't want to put those uncomfortable shoes on. The prince recognizes her at once--how could he not?--and he joins his beloved in living happily ever after and casting off their shoes. This was an appealing and slightly different take on the original story, but one that will appeal to youngsters and those of us who prefer to go barefoot as often as possible.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story by Maggie Rudy. PICTURE BOOK. Godwin Books (Macmillan), 2020. $18. 9781250186041

BUYING ADVISORY:EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The little mouse’s father remarried a rat and then died, leaving her behind to toil for her steprat mother and steprat sisters. They called her Sootypaws. When the call goes out for the Prince’s ball, the creatures that Sootypaws has been kind to over the years help her prepare in secret.

Rudy has translated the Cinderella story in a magically realistic version for mice. The human-like hands are a bit odd, but I adore her ending twist!

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[SL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Delightfully absurd or absurdly delightful depending on how you look at it. SOOTYPAWS follows some of the original beats of Cinderella but has an ending where the prince and Rosie, aka Sootypaws, decide to run away together instead of getting married and staying as royals. Actually, it's sort of reminiscent of Meghan & Harry, lol! I did like how instead of a fairy godmother, Rosie was able to go to the ball with the help from all her friends. (Although I will say I was confused when the story referred to her friends as creatures when Rosie herself is a mouse.) There was a lovely thread of friendship and kindness in there and I appreciated that as a reader. I will say that it is impressive that instead of traditional illustrations, the author utilized felt and other materials to create her story which is a huge undertaking and something I must applaud. I cant imagine how many hours went into felting all the characters!

Overall, SOOTYPAWS was charming and quirky. I would check this out from a public library and see if it's to your liking. I could see this being used in units for fractured fairy tales.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cleverest version of the Cinderella Story that I've ever seen in a picture book. So creative!

Goodreaders, you get the idea from the name given to the "Cinderella" character here, Sootypaws the mouse. She toils away until she manages to attend The Ball.

Artistically, this book is amazing. To better understand what it was I was seeing, I'm grateful to have learned the following from the Goodreads blurber for this book:

Sootypaws features stunning hand-built diorama art, including hand-sewn outfits and an environment that is beautifully constructed and filled with charming details.

That! For sure, this variant on Cinderella is no cliche, neither visually nor in the story. It's a FIVE STAR wonder.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous retelling of Cinderella. The illustrations are fun and flamboyant with a hint of macabre. The story is impeccably written. Sootypaws has such depth of character and her distaste for shoes is something I strongly relate to. Her strong independent need no man attitude was inspiring even though she still ran away with a prince after some persuasion. Because authors can never let the characters no be no when it comes to powerful men. But of course, he ditched his shoes as well and they ran barefoot into life which is a philosophy I quite admire. I found this book to be hilariously captivating and I couldn’t stop laughing the entire read.

[Sarah Karasek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful in so many ways. It is a clear Cinderella retelling, but the messaging is so much more positive. Beyond that, the artwork is incredibly gorgeous. As an adult, it might be worth buying just for the artwork. I don't normally read kid lit. I don't have kids. But I bought this for a school assignment on fairy tell retellings in picture books, and I'm so happy that I did. If you're a librarian or a teacher or a parent reading this - 200% recommend.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like that this story is a twist on Cinderella. The pictures are amazing because they are photos of real things made to look like a story. There are some funny parts too. I really liked how rose petals fell and made Sootypaws' beautiful dress. The ending was a little silly but I guess the author wanted to be different from the normal Cinderella. (Savannah, 3rd grade)

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fracture fairy tale with a twist on the Cinderella story. Sootypaws is forced to live with her wicked stepmother, and two evil sisters. Thought of nothing more than a scullery maid to her family forced to cook and clean, Sootypaws gets her wishes answered when she attends the ball, and dances the night away.

[Grab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casually just abandoning his kingdom and all his responsibilities, nbd lol.
But the effort put into creating each vignette is astonishing, if residing unreservedly in the uncanny valley. The latter factor is part of why I enjoy the style, but if you're easily unnerved, this book won't be for you.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not your parents Cinderella. Modern twists and turns, with an older reader/listener feel, we see Cinderella as we know her, but those darn magical slippers have a twist that will make you giggle. The illustrations are subjective. They can be a bit off putting at times.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for Cinderella variants and this one was amazing! The illustrations are wonderful-- Rudy has created dioramas out of felt and found objects which she photographs. The mice are so life-like! The twist in the story is modern and lovely. A new favorite.

[Lynne Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting!

I have read of Maggie Rudy and her exceptional creative talent with th making and filming of her illustrative scenes. My grandchildren will be transfixed by Sootypaws when they next visit. A truly astounding book.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to our Cinderella text set. Students loved the illustrations.

[Wylaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was fine, but the illustrations look like taxidermy. It took away from the story.

[Emily✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*swoons*

[Mary-Esther Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite.

[Amy K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so unexpectedly sweet! It caught my eye at the public library when I was without the kids. I thought nah, another Cinderella story. My son picked it on our next visit and we all loved it.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fabulous ending!

My favorite line is, "'We will pull you!' said two blue-bellied lizards, and they showed off their muscles with some pushups."

[Karen Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me. I even find it a little creepy.
Sorry Maggie Rudy. I'm sure you're a wonderful lady.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork was so interesting.

[Maeghan Nutmeg Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending gave me a good laugh.

I do love art made from found objects!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. A Cinderella retelling with mice and rats. Sootypaws is nice to nature and creatures, so they help her go to the ball. A twist on the ending. I really liked the art.

[GardeniaPearl]

Very interesting illustrations. Liked that her friends helped her go to the ball. Didn't quite like the ending.

[Awjtf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story!

[Ashley Vining · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrator created images that are realistic and highly detailed in a unique style. I liked the use of different textures and layers to create depth. It looked as if dolls and miniatures were used and photographed, then layered to create the scenes in the pictures. I am not sure how many more Cinderella stories we need in children's lit at this point, but there were enough creative differences in this version to keep my interest! The rose petal dress, rose thorn high heels, etc. were fun details.