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Once Before Time
Once Before Time Cinderella Rex: kids books ages 3-5
Cinderella Rex loves to dance, but will she get to attend the royal ball? From Epic! Originals, Once Before Time is a playful board book series of fairy tales reimagined from a time long ago . . . with dinosaurs!
In this prehistoric retelling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella Rex wants to go to the ball, but her stompmother and stompsisters make her clean up after them instead. With some help from her Fairy Triceratops, Cinderella Rex figures out how to dance her way to living happily ever after!
In this prehistoric retelling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella Rex wants to go to the ball, but her stompmother and stompsisters make her clean up after them instead. With some help from her Fairy Triceratops, Cinderella Rex figures out how to dance her way to living happily ever after!
12 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2020
4 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Christy Webster
120 books20 followersChristy Webster is a writer and editor with 15 years in-house experience at major children's book publishers. She has written over 60 children's books and stories and edited hundreds of books, including several bestselling chapter book series. She specializes in early readers, chapter books, storybooks, and media licenses.
Available for freelance writing, editing, ghostwriting and co-writing.
Available for freelance writing, editing, ghostwriting and co-writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 26, 2019
This book is seriously cute.
Cinderella Rex lives with her stompmother and two stompsisters. Her defining characteristic is that she loves to dance. So when the family gets an invitation to the ball, Cinderella Rex is excited... until she gets left at home. But not to worry: her Fairy Triceratops has everything covered. With a wave of her magic horns, she provides a dress and shoes (with hilariously separate toes) and magical transportation. At the ball, Cinderella Rex just can't help herself and starts to dance to the music. Everyone stops and stares, because she's the best dancer they've ever seen! The prince is taken with her dancing abilities, but before he has a chance to talk to her, the clock strikes midnight and Cinderella Rex must flee. Because her arms are too short to pick it up, she has to leave her lost shoe behind and escape into the night. The prince uses the shoe to go searching for the amazing dancer he saw at the ball, and... well, most of us know the rest.
The illustrations are adorable, and the clever little plays on words and jokes about tiny T-Rex arms are amusing. But what I really like about this one is that the prince isn't smitten by a pretty face; he's intrigued by Cinderella Rex's skill as a dancer. In fact, there's really no romance here at all. The prince's quest to find the mysterious dancer is more about intrigue and appreciation than it is about trying to find a mate. We need more fairy tale retellings like this.
Cinderella Rex is lots of fun. Those who enjoy fairy tales--especially ones with new and modern twists--will find plenty to enjoy here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a digital ARC.
Cinderella Rex lives with her stompmother and two stompsisters. Her defining characteristic is that she loves to dance. So when the family gets an invitation to the ball, Cinderella Rex is excited... until she gets left at home. But not to worry: her Fairy Triceratops has everything covered. With a wave of her magic horns, she provides a dress and shoes (with hilariously separate toes) and magical transportation. At the ball, Cinderella Rex just can't help herself and starts to dance to the music. Everyone stops and stares, because she's the best dancer they've ever seen! The prince is taken with her dancing abilities, but before he has a chance to talk to her, the clock strikes midnight and Cinderella Rex must flee. Because her arms are too short to pick it up, she has to leave her lost shoe behind and escape into the night. The prince uses the shoe to go searching for the amazing dancer he saw at the ball, and... well, most of us know the rest.
The illustrations are adorable, and the clever little plays on words and jokes about tiny T-Rex arms are amusing. But what I really like about this one is that the prince isn't smitten by a pretty face; he's intrigued by Cinderella Rex's skill as a dancer. In fact, there's really no romance here at all. The prince's quest to find the mysterious dancer is more about intrigue and appreciation than it is about trying to find a mate. We need more fairy tale retellings like this.
Cinderella Rex is lots of fun. Those who enjoy fairy tales--especially ones with new and modern twists--will find plenty to enjoy here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a digital ARC.
December 20, 2019
This story ticks all the boxes for our family. Dinosaurs, especially T-Rex are all over my grandchildren's house, from wall hangings, to bedding and quilts. This retelling of Cinderella using dinosaurs gave it just the twist we loved. Cinderella Rex is not looking to get married, but she just wants to dance. The fairy triceratops makes her wish come true and when she gets to the ball, everyone, including the prince, wants to know who the amazing dancer is. Of course midnight strikes and when she loses a shoe running off, she can't pick it up because of her tiny arms (we loved that part). I enjoyed that there was no romance, prince smitten by a beautiful princess, but just a fun story with the magical elements of the original fairytale. We all enjoyed this story. The illustrations were adorable, and even though this was a short board book with simple text, it appealed to both the three year old and the six year old. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.
September 29, 2019
I need more of these books! I love fairy tales. I love dinosaurs. I love this story. It is cute, and felt that the story was still true to the lesson while being more empowering and fun for kids and not so much a “prince saves the princess” cliche.
I would love stories like this for my kids and my niece and nephew. It is relevant, bold and colourful as well as great for any child.
I would love stories like this for my kids and my niece and nephew. It is relevant, bold and colourful as well as great for any child.
April 25, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
I'm back with another exciting Cinderella retelling, this time one for children who love both fairytales and dinosaurs! There was no question that I'd be picking up Cinderella Rex by Christy Webster and illustrated by Holly Hatam the moment I saw it. I pretty much try to read every Cinderella retelling I can get my hands on at this point. And I'm happy to report that Cinderella Rex was in no way a disappointment!
Featuring a young dinosaur living with her stepfamily who loves nothing more than to dance every chance she gets, Cinderella Rex pulls you right in. It follows all the typical Cinderella milestones, from her doing all the chores to her family refusing to allow her to go to the ball. In pops her Fairy-Triceratops to save the day and off she goes to dance the night away.
The prince becomes entranced by the amazing dancing skills of our very own Cinderella Rex, curfew demands she must leave, and we even get a nod to the big head / little arms joke that often comes about with tyrannosaurus rexes. And honestly? I loved every moment of this story. The illustrations were an adorable bonus, with bright colors and cute characters to keep any kid engaged.
While I'm not the biggest dinosaur lover, it did warm my heart to know that there is a story out there with a Cinderella dinosaur for all boys and girls to fall in love with.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I'm back with another exciting Cinderella retelling, this time one for children who love both fairytales and dinosaurs! There was no question that I'd be picking up Cinderella Rex by Christy Webster and illustrated by Holly Hatam the moment I saw it. I pretty much try to read every Cinderella retelling I can get my hands on at this point. And I'm happy to report that Cinderella Rex was in no way a disappointment!
Featuring a young dinosaur living with her stepfamily who loves nothing more than to dance every chance she gets, Cinderella Rex pulls you right in. It follows all the typical Cinderella milestones, from her doing all the chores to her family refusing to allow her to go to the ball. In pops her Fairy-Triceratops to save the day and off she goes to dance the night away.
The prince becomes entranced by the amazing dancing skills of our very own Cinderella Rex, curfew demands she must leave, and we even get a nod to the big head / little arms joke that often comes about with tyrannosaurus rexes. And honestly? I loved every moment of this story. The illustrations were an adorable bonus, with bright colors and cute characters to keep any kid engaged.
While I'm not the biggest dinosaur lover, it did warm my heart to know that there is a story out there with a Cinderella dinosaur for all boys and girls to fall in love with.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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January 14, 2022
FANTASTIC retelling of Cinderella. Simply adorable!
October 3, 2019
Approved by my fairy tale loving 3 year old.
A pretty simple retelling of Cinderella, except that they are all dinosaurs. They're still personified, living in houses and wearing human type clothes. There's no romance here, the Prince is excited to find the great dancer he saw so they will give him lessons, so kids in the kissing is yucky phase will still enjoy.
The art style is cute, with friendly looking dinos and texture given with scratch out rather than black lineart. Cinderella Rex was actually my least favorite design of the characters, it is telling that almost everyone else is an herbivore, maybe the illustrator knows where her strengths lie. I loved the clothing and dresses (more the feather and leaf shapes that make them up than the Prince's fleur-de-lis sportcoat which felt a little out of place in the art style) and it takes skill to get clothes on creatures with tails, some of whom are on four legs. There was one picture, of Cinderella Rex running down the stairs in her long skirt and her tail was fully visible from behind her, which doesn't make much sense. Somewhere in the design or editing process someone should have questioned that. It's the sort of thing nitpicky kids will notice and complain about too, trust me.
The changes to the text are mostly single words, they aren't stepsisters, they're STOMPsisters etc. There are some cute details like Cinderella not being able to pick up her shoe because her little arms can't reach (I am kind of betting that that detail was the first thing created for this story and the reason she was designed as a T-rex). I am interested in seeing where the series goes with other folklore, and I hope there are more little details and twists like that one.
A pretty simple retelling of Cinderella, except that they are all dinosaurs. They're still personified, living in houses and wearing human type clothes. There's no romance here, the Prince is excited to find the great dancer he saw so they will give him lessons, so kids in the kissing is yucky phase will still enjoy.
The art style is cute, with friendly looking dinos and texture given with scratch out rather than black lineart. Cinderella Rex was actually my least favorite design of the characters, it is telling that almost everyone else is an herbivore, maybe the illustrator knows where her strengths lie. I loved the clothing and dresses (more the feather and leaf shapes that make them up than the Prince's fleur-de-lis sportcoat which felt a little out of place in the art style) and it takes skill to get clothes on creatures with tails, some of whom are on four legs. There was one picture, of Cinderella Rex running down the stairs in her long skirt and her tail was fully visible from behind her, which doesn't make much sense. Somewhere in the design or editing process someone should have questioned that. It's the sort of thing nitpicky kids will notice and complain about too, trust me.
The changes to the text are mostly single words, they aren't stepsisters, they're STOMPsisters etc. There are some cute details like Cinderella not being able to pick up her shoe because her little arms can't reach (I am kind of betting that that detail was the first thing created for this story and the reason she was designed as a T-rex). I am interested in seeing where the series goes with other folklore, and I hope there are more little details and twists like that one.
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November 6, 2019“We can only buy one of these, honey.”
The mom was ahead of me in the checkout line with her daughter, who appeared to be four or five years old.
The child frowned, but before she could start with the whole “pleeeease” routine, her mom said, “Tell me why you want them and I’ll help you decide.”
“Well,” the girl twisted her mouth into a thoughtful knot. “I want the crown so I can play princesses.” In her chubby grip was a plastic tiara adorned with shiny (and equally plastic) gems. “And I want the dinosaur ‘cause it’s got teeth for biting things.”
Cinderella Rex (Andrews McMeel/Epic! Originals) would have been a perfect solution for that little girl’s dilemma. Written by Christy Webster and colorfully illustrated by Holly Hatam, the characters in this iconic fairy tale are recast as various species of dinosaurs to clever effect. For example, Cinderella Rex is unfairly treated by her “stompmother” and “stompsisters” and fails to retrieve her glass shoe as she flees because, being a Tyrannosaurus rex, “her arms could not reach it.”
There are a few surprising twists to the familiar tale, as well. The prince, in this case a yellow Parasaurolophus, is not seeking the mysterious belle of his ball to marry her—at least, not within the confines of this rendition. In fact, it is not because of her beauty that Cinderella Rex earns the opportunity to trade her step-family’s cottage for life in the castle. It’s because her dancing skills are without equal—and the prince could really use some lessons.
The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/11/once-bef...
The mom was ahead of me in the checkout line with her daughter, who appeared to be four or five years old.
The child frowned, but before she could start with the whole “pleeeease” routine, her mom said, “Tell me why you want them and I’ll help you decide.”
“Well,” the girl twisted her mouth into a thoughtful knot. “I want the crown so I can play princesses.” In her chubby grip was a plastic tiara adorned with shiny (and equally plastic) gems. “And I want the dinosaur ‘cause it’s got teeth for biting things.”
Cinderella Rex (Andrews McMeel/Epic! Originals) would have been a perfect solution for that little girl’s dilemma. Written by Christy Webster and colorfully illustrated by Holly Hatam, the characters in this iconic fairy tale are recast as various species of dinosaurs to clever effect. For example, Cinderella Rex is unfairly treated by her “stompmother” and “stompsisters” and fails to retrieve her glass shoe as she flees because, being a Tyrannosaurus rex, “her arms could not reach it.”
There are a few surprising twists to the familiar tale, as well. The prince, in this case a yellow Parasaurolophus, is not seeking the mysterious belle of his ball to marry her—at least, not within the confines of this rendition. In fact, it is not because of her beauty that Cinderella Rex earns the opportunity to trade her step-family’s cottage for life in the castle. It’s because her dancing skills are without equal—and the prince could really use some lessons.
The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/11/once-bef...
September 28, 2019
What My Kids Loved: The beautiful illustrations were full of glitters and little sparkle spots that just made for a lovely book. My daughter was asking me not to turn the page yet so that she could look a little longer! She loved that the story was a Cinderella version, because Disney is everything right now! Finally, she liked that Cinderella loved to dance, because she does too!
What I Loved: I also enjoyed the illustrations, they really were just beautiful. I liked the story because it was a take on Cinderella, but it wasn't a romance-love story, it was a love of dance story. That was a nice change to the traditional story. I also enjoyed that the characters were dinosaurs; that was just cute.
What's This Book About Anyway?
Cinderella Rex just loves to dance. She lives with her very mean "stomp"mother and "stomp" sisters. A ball is being held at the castle, but Cinderella Rex is not allowed to go! Then, her fairy Triceratops arrives and provides her with her dress and carriage. She's going to be able to dance at the ball! Of course, the story has her losing her shoe and her midnight curfew. The slight changes in how the prince finds her so she can teach him to dance were just perfect.
What I Loved: I also enjoyed the illustrations, they really were just beautiful. I liked the story because it was a take on Cinderella, but it wasn't a romance-love story, it was a love of dance story. That was a nice change to the traditional story. I also enjoyed that the characters were dinosaurs; that was just cute.
What's This Book About Anyway?
Cinderella Rex just loves to dance. She lives with her very mean "stomp"mother and "stomp" sisters. A ball is being held at the castle, but Cinderella Rex is not allowed to go! Then, her fairy Triceratops arrives and provides her with her dress and carriage. She's going to be able to dance at the ball! Of course, the story has her losing her shoe and her midnight curfew. The slight changes in how the prince finds her so she can teach him to dance were just perfect.
February 29, 2020
Fairy tales and dinosaurs might seem to have absolutely nothing in common, but in this board book they come together in a humorous takeoff on the classic Cinderella. In this version of the story, Cinderella is a T-Rex put upon by her stepsisters and stepmother--called stompsisters and stompmother in the book. She loves to dance and is thrilled when news comes of a royal ball where she might dance the night away. But her family leaves her behind because she isn't fast enough in getting ready. A Fairy Triceratops comes to her rescue and provides her with a wardrobe and transportation. She never meets the prince at the ball, but her dancing catches his eye. Little touches such as how she cannot pick up her lost slipper since her arms are too short add to the pleasure of reading and being amused by this book. the original Cinderella never had it quite so good. This is part of the Once Upon a Time series, which I'm sure will entertain its intended audience.
October 7, 2019
I love this new twist on Cinderella. I think that by making the characters as dinosaurs, Christy Webster has broken through the gender stereotypes that come along with both princess stories and dinosaurs. I also appreciate that marriage and happily ever after is not a part of this story's ending. It is so important to teach kids about being kind to one another, to be friends with people who are different than you (gender, type of dinosaur, etc.), and to be true to yourself. Cinderella Rex does that as the heroine of the story doesn't run off to marry the prince, she teaches him how to do her favorite thing, which is to dance. I think that changing the ending so that Cinderella and the prince are friends with a shared hobby that they both enjoy is a beautiful new ending than to keep pushing the ideas of marriage on to children from such young ages.
September 29, 2019
A very attractive look at the Cinderella story, but peopled by dinosaurs. The issue with it may well be that it doesn't exactly "have" to be peopled by dinosaurs – the only benefit we get from this is one quip that seems to come too late to justify the decision. But the ending, in being rather different to the usual, is a blindingly obvious point that I don't think I've seen in any other telling of the story before. So the wacky casting is still a little dubious, but a lot of thought has been put into this – and certainly the design shows great artistry. Recommended.
October 1, 2019
Cinderella Rex is an adorable re-telling of Cinderella, starring dinosaurs. Cinderella is a T-Rex who loves to dance, but must serve her selfish stompmother and stompsisters. As the story goes, when Cinderella Rex manages to go to the ball (with the help of her fairy Triceratops and a squash-coach), she captivates the prince and all ends happily after ever. The illustrations are charming and absolutely perfect for the story. This is a fantastic way to introduce the classic fairytale to young children.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
November 23, 2019
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a board book re-telling of Cinderella, the classic produced by Disney.
It’s theme is dinosaurs who dance. Think about that for a moment. Close your eyes and picture dancing dinos. My thoughts were stomp, stomp, stomp, crash, squish, smash, SMASH! 🙂
A small but exciting book about a special ‘girl’ wanting to get to the ball to dance. Fun, bright illustrations to compliment the story and help it along to a laugh out loud ending.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a board book re-telling of Cinderella, the classic produced by Disney.
It’s theme is dinosaurs who dance. Think about that for a moment. Close your eyes and picture dancing dinos. My thoughts were stomp, stomp, stomp, crash, squish, smash, SMASH! 🙂
A small but exciting book about a special ‘girl’ wanting to get to the ball to dance. Fun, bright illustrations to compliment the story and help it along to a laugh out loud ending.
October 7, 2019
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
SO CUTE. I love dinosaurs and I'm always a fan of a princess story, and this is adorable. I loved that the glass slipper had toes for the T-Rex, and I also liked that despite the presence of the prince, the main goal was dancing. It was very cute. I also loved the fact that what stopped Cinderella Rex from picking up her glass slipper was her short arms. Adorable story, would read again.
SO CUTE. I love dinosaurs and I'm always a fan of a princess story, and this is adorable. I loved that the glass slipper had toes for the T-Rex, and I also liked that despite the presence of the prince, the main goal was dancing. It was very cute. I also loved the fact that what stopped Cinderella Rex from picking up her glass slipper was her short arms. Adorable story, would read again.
September 30, 2019
Hilarious "fractured" fairy tale spin-off on Cinderella that kids will absolutely adore! The art is especially fun and the dialogue will make this a super story to read out loud or as a fun bedtime story. Children are enamored with dinosaurs and seeing them in a fairy-tale setting is particularly unique. Great book! I highly recommend it.
October 1, 2019
Cinderella Rex by author Christy Webster is an adorable and fresh children’s book worth the read (every time!) the plot and characters are written beautifully for the young readers, it did not disappoint!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2019
Cinderella Rex is a cute spin on the popular fairy tale, Cinderella. Cinderella Rex is about a t-rex who loves to dance but can't because she has to take care of her stomp mother and stomp sisters. This book was so cute and well written!
The boys I read this to loved it! They really enjoyed looking at the dinosaurs. We will definitely be buying a hard copy of this book!
The boys I read this to loved it! They really enjoyed looking at the dinosaurs. We will definitely be buying a hard copy of this book!
December 4, 2020
A fun spin-off of the fairy tale " Cinderella." This book teaches some names of dinosaurs to young readers and also provides great illustrations that are very detailed. There are lots of funny moments in the book for children. Cinderella Rex also teaches an important lesson that you should treat everyone and anyone kindly.
September 16, 2021
Ok, so one of my friends has a two year old daughter who loves Cinderella and dinosaurs. Coming across this book made my day, so I immediately order it! Got it yesterday and read it to everyone in my house. I was dying laughing the whole time and told everyone about this book. I love it!! This book is PURE GOLD!!!
October 16, 2021
I absolutely loved this book. I read this book to my niece and nephew and they fell in love with the characters and the idea of the spin-off. The idea of cinderella being a dinosaur was so fun and exciting for them. They let their imaginations fly and laughed the whole time. It was so thrilling and rewarding to watch their faces light up to this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2019
Lovely take on Cinderella - the ending is particularly pleasing. The illustrations are very cute. The language is well-matched for the illustrations and the story. I worry that if I had to read this every night for a month it would drive me mad but isn't that the way with all children's books?
May 6, 2020
The 20th book of the pandemic. Whew! It was fine, nothing great. However! It's a book that appeals to a wide majority and should work well as a read-aloud for TK. Familiarity goes far with this age group.
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December 2, 2020Cinderella Rex is a fun spin on the classic story of Cinderella. This is a great book for kids who love princesses and also dinosaurs. The illustrations are colorful and bright and it is so much fun to read. The book ends with a very happy ending.
November 15, 2025
This version of Cinderella is playful and silly, turning the main character into a dancing T-rex with tiny arms and a whole dinosaur cast. It keeps the heart of the original story but makes it light, cute, and perfect for younger kids.
September 24, 2019
Berry loves this series on the Epic! app! Now that they'll be available in print we may need to add them to our home collection.
October 17, 2019
What a super cute retelling of Cinderella using dinosaurs. My 2 year old granddaughter loved it and wants it read to her over and over.
November 6, 2019
Aww! A cute, easy to read dino-themed fairy tale. The illustrations are great and the text is appropriate for a 1-2nd grader to read on his/her own.
July 4, 2020
This is hilarious. My kids (4 & 2.5yo) love reading it (over and over).
August 16, 2020
This book was great. I wish there were more adaptations to fairy tales like this. I especially love how the prince wasn't out to save the damsel in distress through marriage.
October 27, 2020
This is such a cute spin-off of Cinderella. The story and illustration are perfect and help to bring a new spin to an old story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews