Cinderella: By Charles Perrault - Illustrated

by Charles Perrault

Italian artist Roberto Innocenti's elegantly rendered illustrations breathe fresh air into this age-old tale of the girl who rises from the depths of sadness and misfortune to become the belle of the ball, surprising those who mistakenly think they know her.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Classics

108 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2017

About the author

Charles Perrault was a French author who laid foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, and whose best known tales, offered as if they were pre-existing folk tales, include: Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Bluebeard, Hop o' My Thumb), Diamonds and Toads, Patient Griselda, The Ridiculous Wishes...

Perrault's most famous stories are still in print today and have been made into operas, ballets (e.g., Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty), plays, musicals, and films, both live-action and animation.

The Brothers Grimm retold their own versions of some of Perrault's fairy tales.

Reviews

[Mahdi Lotfi · Rating 4 out of 5]

وزی روزگاری، مردی محترم با دختر کوچکش زندگی میکرد. او برای اینکه دخترش مادری داشته باشد، با زنی ازدواج کرد که خودش دو دختر داشت. وقتی مرد فوت کرد، نامادری با دختر او با سنگدلی رفتار کرد. دختربچه در خانه خودش تبدیل به خدمتکار شد. او رشد کرد و تبدیل به دختر جوان زیبایی گردید. او عادت داشت پاهایش را با خاکستر کنار بخاری گرم کند. به این ترتیب مردم او را سیندرلا یا دختر خاکستر نامیدند. او دختری مهربان بود اما نامادری و دو خواهر ناتنی آزارش میدادند. جایی دیگر، در کاخ سلطنتی، پادشاه دنبال همسری شایسته برای پسرش یعنی شاهزاده بود. شاهزاده علاقه ای به ازدواج نشان نمیداد. سیندرلا میتوانست همان شخصی باشد که شاهزاده عاشقش میشود. اما چگونه پسر پادشاه و دختری بیچاره و فقیر میتوانستند در کنار هم قرار بگیرند...
سیندرلا، افسانه ای فولکلور و مشهور است. مضمون درونی این داستان در مورد رسیدن به پاداش پیروزمندانه پس از دیدن ظلم و بی‌عدالتی است.

[Lör K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the original tale of Cinderella so eloquently written and told as it was meant to. This is the classic story, and thank goodness there were no faerie god mothers.

Much gorier than the original Disney tale we know, and much more thrilling and quite nerve racking, Ashputtel is an absolute work of art. This is definitely one of my favourite Brothers Grimm stories, and it's historic. It definitely should be read in all of its original glory.

[Cadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a gift when I was born. It has absolutely beautiful illustrations. It has always been a special childhood memory for me. I highly recommend this book and author if you're looking for a good childrend's book.

[Michelle Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and also more on the easy to read side. It would be a nice read aloud in a one on one or small group setting because the story is not overly wordy but the book itself is not large enough for a large group setting.

[Madison Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Once Upon a Time, in a far away land, there was a tiny kingdom, peaceful, prosperous..."- For any avid Disney fan, it is obvious that these words are the beginning of Disney's version of Cinderella. However, the original written story, a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, is much more gory and less "Happily Ever After", at least for Cinderella's step-sisters.

"Cinderella" tells the story of Cinderella (which isn't even her real name) and her life after the death of her mother. With an absent father and an evil step-mother, the poor girl suffers as she is demoted from a lovely daughter to pretty much a slave to her step-mother and step-sisters. Throughout the entirety of her awful treatment, Cinderella seems to never have a breakdown, and just rolls with the punches. Thankfully, like every modern day fairy tale, Cinderella does get her happy ending, but not until some blood had been shed. A common theme which is present is that step-mothers are particularly evil. This theme seems to be common in most fairy tales, especially this one. The hateful step-mother is the one to ruin Cinderella's life, and her step-sisters just follow in her step-mother's footsteps. Although not all step-mothers are evil, the Brothers Grimm wrote this fairy tale in with their collection so when children are read these, they can relate. They may not have an evil step-mother, but they could be going through trials even at a young age. Seeing Cinderella overcome her trials ultimately give hope to these children that they can also overcome their own trials and have their own "Happily Ever After".

Overall, I truly enjoyed the story. As a lover of all things Disney, it was nice reading a fairy tale that was not all sunshine and rainbows. There were a few gory parts, but not too much where it was rough to read. I would rate this story with 4 stars purely for the story alone; however, the reason why it is not a 5 star story is because of the lack of characterization. If I had never seen the Disney movie prior to reading this version, it would be hard to imagine what each of the characters looked like. Sure, it is fun to be able to create your visuals of characters in the story, but it is much better when a reader knows what the author, or authors in this case, are telling the story about.

Despite the lack of characterization and the difference in versions between this story and the Disney version, I definitely recommend this story to everyone. Everyone needs to read the classic fairy tales because despite them being rather old, they can be relatable, and even applicable to today's times.

[Brock Kirtley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone knows Cinderella. EVERYONE. Cinderella loses her mom, her dad quickly remarries (A little... to quickly) to some evil stepmother with equally as evil children. Cinderella slaves away while her dad does god knows what (probably finding another woman to "remarry"). As she slaves away, she hears about a ball Prince Charming (heck of a name) is throwing, and gosh dang does she wanna go. so with the help of a couple of BUFF birds, they create a beautiful dress. So for a few WACKY nights, she goes out, parties with the prince (who falls in love with him after only a few days of BARELY knowing her) and then returning home before the step mother/sisters. Cinderella loses her slipper, Charming uses it to find her, the step sisters cut of their toes and heels (Normal stuff), Cinderella appears before him, fits the slipper, they get married, and the step sisters get their eyes pecked out by pigeons, ya know, average stuff. Overall, it got kinda boring. I mean EVERYONE knows the story of cinderella, and going in to the Brothers Grimm version, I was expecting some super dark ending where maybe, the dad gets tarred and feathered for being a deadbeat, and the evil stepmother gets ran over by the wedding carriage. But alas, it's was a boring, predictable fairytale that everyone and their evil stepmothers have heard. My rating, is 3 glass... ruby?... GOLD slippers out of 5 for the simple fact that it is a classic, and a must read for those intrigued by literature from the 18th/19th century.

[Jace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Brothers Grimms' tale of Cinderella is a story is a timeless classic. Walt Disney popularized the character and made it more kid-friendly. But this one is beyond comparison, it may not have singing mice or a devilish cat; but it intrigues the reader nonetheless. Though the story may be grimm, pun intended, the theme is everyone should learn, is that what goes around comes around. How you go about your life, changes what happens in the near future. We all know the disney movie, but it feels like a whole new experience reading this book. On the plus side, the thing is only seven pages. Ill end this review with something I learned from the book. Birds are, infact, mans' best friend.

[Marge Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love the story of Cinderella. I collect Cinderella Picture Books. Most countries and cultures have a version of the story.
Moral: Beauty in a woman is a rare treasure that will always be admired. Graciousness, however, is priceless and of even greater value. This is what Cinderella's godmother gave to her when she taught her to behave like a queen. Young women, in the winning of a heart, graciousness is more important than a beautiful hairdo. It is a true gift of the fairies. Without it nothing is possible; with it, one can do anything

[Nanou Nawel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vive le retour aux belles histoires de mon enfance !

La version des frères Grimm de Cendrillon diffère de celle de Charles Perrault et de celle de Disney.

Il n'y a pas de marraine et Cendrillon part 3 fois au bal.

[Typhanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Lu pour un challenge]
Mon dieu si je m'attendais à ça ! Du gore dans les contes comme je les aime ! Ca se lit vite et bien, j'adore !
Ayant lu la version de Basile juste avant, je remarque tellement les similitude ! Incroyable.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished listening to the audiobook of this story on YouTube and I liked it. It’s different from the Disney version but it’s not bad.

[Halley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and I go way back. My grammy had given me this book when I was a little girl and its a childhood favorite :))) great family story!

[Smilla's Sister · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book used to be one of my most prized possessions. The illustrations are breathtaking.