From the author of The Three Little Javelinas comes a Wild West retelling of the classic Cinderella fairytale, perfect for fans of Little Ree by Ree Drummond, Prince Cinders by Babette Cole, Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson, and Red Riding Hood as retold by James Marshall. Once upon a time, there was a sweet cowgirl named Cindy Ellen, who lived with the orneriest stepmother west of the Mississippi and two stepsisters who were so nasty, they made rattlesnakes look nice! But when a fast-talkin' fairy godmother teaches Cindy Ellen a little lesson about gumption, Cindy lassos first place at the rodeo and the heart of Joe Prince.... You may think you've heard the story before—but you'll get a side-splittin' bellyache after you're through with this hilarious rendition told Wild West-style!
Susan Lowell often writes about the Southwest border country in both fiction and nonfiction. Her forthcoming adult short-story collection, "Two Desperados,” returns to the genre of her first book, “Ganado Red.” Her family has lived in the American West since Gold Rush days, and family stories have inspired many children’s books as well as an adult novel in progress called “The Wild West Waltz” (see the story “Two Desperados” for a preview!) She and her husband divide their time between Tucson, Arizona and a ranch near the Mexican border.
A quite hilarious Western retelling of Cinderella that had me laughing out loud from start to finish with the idioms, idiomatic turns of phrase (which I was "reading" in my head with a Texan accent for maximum hilarity) and twists/equivalents of the usual tale elements. But... but... but why did it have to be paired with such terrible, ugly art? The art style is so not eye-pleasing and so not to my taste that it nearly ruined the fun for me. The three stars go for the humour, I should say.
Yee-haw! Just watch as our girl kicks butt at the rodeo, then dosey-dos her way into a Prince's heart at the square dance. This is the rooting-tootingest Cinderella story ever. I also liked Jane Manning's bright and cheery illustrations.
3.5 STARS. I admit I am not much of a wild west gal, but the idea for this retelling intrigued me. I thought it was pulled off fairly well, and should definitely appeal to girls who aren't really into the "princess" tales. Cindy Ellen impresses her "prince" by winning ribbons in the rodeo! I wasn't wild about the illustrations, and a few time I wanted to groan with the cliches ("Meanwhile, back at the ranch...") but overall it was a cute renovation of the classic tale.
Cindy Ellen is a story based off the original Cinderella story. A western girl becomes a step sister to two mean sisters. The step mom and step sisters make her do everything because she's better than them. Cindy Ellen wants to go to a rodeo and her fairy godmother grants that wish for her, just as Cinderella's fairy godmother granted her wish to go to the ball. She dressed up in an appropriate outfit for the rodeo and went. After winning the competition at the rodeo, Cindy Ellen wants to go to the dance. Her godmother once again helped her dress up and allowed her to go. After dancing her night away with the Prince, Cindy Ellen heard the clock ticking to twelve and ran. She dropped a diamond from her boot when the Prince picked it up. He wondered who it was and didn't stop until he found Cindy Ellen again and they got married. This version is very similar to Cinderella just in a western version with rodeos, horses, boots, and cowgirls/cowboys. The illustration in Cindy Ellen was also very interesting and eye opening. You could just take a look at pictures and assume whats going on because they were very detailed.
Cinderella meets the Wild West. I listened to this version of Cinderella on YouTube and enjoyed this different take on a traditional tale. The reader of the book spoke like a cowboy which made listening to the story more enjoyable with the theme. Readers will enjoy the colorful pictures of the book as well as Cindy Ellen who like Cinderella has en evil step mother. I would use this book to compare and contrast with the original version of Cinderella. I also think it would be a great way to talk about the wild west as the story uses terms specific to that part of the country. This book could be used for 2nd grade and older in my opinion.
Cindy Ellen is a cowgirl who loves going to rodeos. Her stepsisters would never let her go, until she got a fairy godmother. Cindy wins the rodeo and gallops off before meeting the prince. She sees him the next night at the dance, but still he never gets her name. When she leaves her boot spur behind, the prince goes on a mission to find Cindy Ellen.
This is no ordinary Cinderella story. You may have think you’ve heard the fairy tale of cinderella before but Susan Lowell puts a twist on it like you’ve never heard before! Between the imagery, similes,and laughs, Lowell recreates Cinderella with a Western twang that will have you laughing throughout. Read along and see how Cindy Ellen and her wild Western self soon find the perfect cowboy, with a little help from her very country fairy godmother. I would use this book in my classroom when talking with students about different types of fairy tales. I would talk with students about how there are the original fairytales, like Cinderella or Rapunzel or Hansel and Gretel, but then how there also can be multiple representations or stories of that fairytale, much like Cindy Ellen is. I also think this book could be used to talk about similes and ways to vamp up your writing. For example, you could talk with students about the phrase "the spurs were set with diamonds as big as sugar lumps", and talk with your students about how this makes the writing that much better rather than saying "the spurs had big diamonds on them". I think that this is a WOW book to me because it isn’t just the same old princess cinderella tale that we all have come to know and love. It puts a Western twist on it and isn't just a typical princess fairytale that you would normally read about. I think it helps that it really isn't just reaching out to girls but also boys as well and would be a book anyone would want to read.
The story is based of of Cinderella but with a western twist. Cindy Ellen's father remarried a crabby lady with two bratty girls and they treat Cindy like crap. When the richest rancher announces that he will host a three day rodeo and the winners reward is a large sum of money. Cindy Impresses everyone with her rodeo skills and on the third night at the dos-se-do she twirls the night away with the ranchers son. Midnight rolls around and she runs off and one of her diamond spurs falls off instead of a glass slipper.
The main character of this story is Cindy Ellen who is the wild west version of Cinderella. In the book she gets taught a lesson on gumption.
The story takes place back in the wild west when cowboys and bank robberies were common, and ranching and mining were a way of life.
The main theme of this story was don't be afraid to have some gumption and to stick up for yourself. Cindy Ellen is afraid to stick up for herself in the beginning of the book. After receiving a pep talk from her godmother, she is filled with gumption and enters in the rodeo to show off her skills.
I loved this book as a child. I think little kids in elementary school would love this book with its colorful illustrations.
Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella by Susan Lowell follows our protagonist, Cindy Ellen. This seemed like an original idea adapted from the beloved classic. I had never heard of a Western Cinderella.
While I found this story amusing and creative, it fell short of my expectations. I loved the cartoonlike illustrations, but I was disappointed to see that the characters were not very culturally or racially diverse. All of the cowboy's possible prospects are white.
This may be a more challenging text for younger readers to comprehend, especially because western lingo is not very popular in the Midwest. I think a lot of scaffolding would have to be used to help students grasp the ideas a little better.
It was interesting to read a Cinderella text set in the United States though. We typically think of Cinderella being a European classic, so this was something new. I would recommend reading this with older students.
I found this story when I was searching for Cinderella stories on Barnes and Noble’s website. It did receive five star reviews on the website.
I did not care for this traditional tale of a wild west version of Cinderella. Every character seemed to be illustrated to look alike - male and female. The connection between Cindy Ellen losing her diamond spur as she runs away and Cinderella losing her glass slipper is almost too corny for me. Intended for ages 4-8, I might use it in my classroom for a compare/contrast lesson, possibly with a Venn diagram. There are so many other versions of this story with substance, such as Cinder Edna and Cinder-Elly. Cindy Ellen was so full of western cliches and overemphasized dialect that I found myself reading with a hokey western twang in my head.
Goodness, did our kindergarten friends LOVE this book today. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a book where I can give characters crazy accents--and this one fills the bill. Crank out your western fairy-godmother and Texas wicked stepmother accents. Yee-haw, a fun-filled romp through the Cinderella story, western version!
Author Susan Lowell and illustrator Jane Manning retell that most famous of fairy-tales in this entertaining picture book, transplanting the story of Cinderella to the wild west. When her father remarries the orneriest woman west of the Mississippi, sweet Cindy Ellen finds her life made miserable by this stepmother and her two nasty daughters. When the local cattle king throws a rodeo and square dance, it seems that our heroine won't be able to attend, until her gun-toting fairy godmother appears and gives her all the finery she needs. Winning the heart of Joe Prince, the rodeo champion son of the cattle king, Cindy Ellen flees at midnight, leaving behind her diamond-studded spur. Now Joe must seek his charming love...
I've read a number of other titles illustrated by Manning, but Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella is my first book from Lowell, whose family (according to the rear dust-jacket blurb) has lived in the American West since Gold Rush days, and whose other picture books appear to also have a western setting, many of them being transplanted tales like this one. In any case, I found this one amusing. It felt a little over the top at times, but I think the frequent use of western phrases and idioms was quite fun—I even learned that "cayuse" is an archaic western word for an unruly horse, something I never knew before—and the use of horse and rodeo culture to tell the tale entertaining. The artwork was colorful and expressive, matching the humor of the tale. Although I don't think this is destined to become a favorite, of the many Cinderella retellings I have read, I would recommend it to picture book audiences looking for unusual examples of this tale type, or for humorous stories set in the American West.
Susan Lowell, has created an alternative to the Cinderella story. Like every Cinderella story, she loses her mom. Then her dad remarries to a woman with twin daughters. What sets this particular edition apart is that Cindy Ellen, “Cinderella”, is a boot-wearin’, hard workin’ cowgirl! Cindy Ellen wants so badly to participate in the cattle king’s rodeo, but her stepmother will not let her. After getting her step-sisters ready, she starts to sob. Her fairy-godmother, sugarfoot, comes to her rescue and grants her wish. Not only does she get her wish, but she finds the love of her life. With all the commotion at the rodeo, her true love loses Cindy Ellen and Cindy Ellen loses her spur. Will Cindy Ellen’s one true love be able to find her with just a spur? I thought the book was a nice “spin” on the traditional tale. Personally, I am a fan of the book because Cindy Ellen is very relatable because she is just like any other hard working girl. I would recommend this to a reader who has not grown out of large text/low content children's books. This particular book has larger amounts of texts on the pages and still contains large pictures. The book is also 40 pages, which is longer than most children’s books.
This short picture book is about a girl named Cindy Ellen who lives in the wild west. She lives with her father who remarries a mean woman with two daughters. Cindy's stepmother puts her to work around the ranch while her stepsisters do not have to do anything. She is invited to a celebration one night where she meets Joe Prince, a rich rancher's son. Her stepmother does not know she is attending and she must make it home by midnight. This is a cute story with a fun twist on the original Cinderella story! I loved how the setting was in the wild west. I would recommend this book to be read to children in 1st to 2nd grade. Overall, it had a really fun plotline that I think children would enjoy. This book shows diversity because Cindy Ellen was not accepted by her new family members, but she still overcame this and made new friends along the way! While there is not a movie of this version of Cinderella, there is a movie of the original version of Cinderella. This book differs from the movie due to the setting being in the wild west, and Cindy Ellen losing a diamond spur from her boot and not a glass slipper.
Cindy was the main character. She had two stepsisters and a nasty stepmother. Her father remarried then died shortly after, and that left Cindy very sad. Her mean stepmom wouldn't allow her to go to Joe Princess Ball. A western dance party where he was looking for his future wife. Cindy, with help from her fairy godmother, the pig turned her dirty old dress into the most beautiful gown anyone has ever seen. The pig turned field mice into stagecoach that took her to the princes' Ball. When Cindy was at the ball, her stepsisters immediately knew who she was. Instead of ruining her fun then, they waited until she was home before she was yelled at by her mom. When the prince came around to houses for women to try on the glass slipper that was left at the ball, Cindy was out at the hogs. As the prince was leaving, he saw Cindy and made her try on the slipper. The illustrations of this book had western patterns and western speech also. The colors were bright in the book and were very interesting to look at.
This was my all time favorite book to read as a child! This book has a wild western twist on the classic story of Cinderella. This book is a great example of a modern version of the famous fairy tale of Cinderella. In this book, Cindy isn't allowed to attend a rich neighbors 2 Day Rodeo and square dance extravaganza. That is until her fairy godmother appears and helps her get ready for the rodeo to meet The cowboy Joe Prince. If you like stories that are based off the original Cinderella folktale than you would like this book. Being from the south, I especially liked the wild Western aspect of the book. The fact that the book is set in the wild west with horses, cowboys, and cowgirls makes this book so much more enjoyable. The artistic element of the book is amazing and the illustrations really bring this wild west story to life. Love this book!
Copyright Date: 2000 Genre: Traditional Theme: Cinderella, Rodeo, Country, Storytelling My favorite part of this story is how it had a country twist to the Cinderella story. Instead of a ball Cindy Ellen went to a rodeo. The fairy god mother shot with a golden pistols and that is how she used magic. When she fired the magic pistol a horse appeared and she had an outfit. At the rodeo Cindy Ellen was winning many races. At the end of the night, Cindy Ellen heard the clock ticking to twelve and ran. Cindy Ellen dropped a diamond spur from her boot and the prince was determined to find it's owner. He didn't stop until he found Cindy Ellen again and they got hitched. This was a great country twist and I would read this book in my future classroom to teach my students there can be variety of outcomes in life.
The book is cute spin off of the original cinderella story. Cindy Ellen is a sweet girl that experiences her father getting married to a mean woman with two mean daughters. Sweet Cindy Ellen faces the brunt of her new step mom and sisters and finds herself doing all of the chores on the ranch while her sisters do nothing. Just to her luck a wacky fairly godmother shows up to save the day and sends her off to an important rodeo where she fancy's Joe prince, the rich rancher's son. But as the fairly godmother warns, she must be home by midnight. I would suggest the book for children older than 6. The pictures are detailed, but there are a lot of words on the page so a younger child's attention span wouldn't last for this book.
This book I have rated 5 stars because of the beautiful illustrations, and the spin off of the classic tale we all know. This story is basically of a southern Cinderella, and is fun to read because it takes all of the elements of the fairy tale but adds a beautiful southern spin, Like the dress and shoes she wears, very different but equally as beautiful and important to the story. I am actually a much bigger fan of the way this story is told than the original version because it is much more fun to read, and tells about he south which I am not particularly familiar with. I love the message because it shows that even if you are a dirty farm girl, you can still be the most beautiful girl in the world.
This book provides a Western retelling of the traditional Cinderella story. I revisited this book for my class module, and remember enjoying it profusely as a child. (The main character had red hair and freckles like me and loved horses!) The illustrations are wonderfully drawn- perfect for a light-hearted retelling featuring a special cowgirl boot. As much as I enjoyed the story, it did have its shortcomings: the book lacked diversity. It would have been very simple and not hard to include a character that was BIPOC. If you have a child that enjoys Cinderella tales, I would recommend it. However, it would not be first on my list. I would suggest this book for second grade. The story is a bit too long for the attention span of a younger child.
I listened to this wild western spin on the Cinderella story on YouTube and thought it was hilarious.
This time Cinderella- Cindy Ellen is a sweet cowgirl who lives with her father rancher, "snaky" stepmother, and two mean stepsisters. There is a two-day rodeo in town, and Cindy Ellen gets help from her fairy godmother to be able to attend it. She wins the rodeo and meets the rich rancher's son Joe. On the second night, as she dances with Prince Joe, the clock strikes midnight, and as Cindy runs away, she loses her diamond spurs. Joe searches the town, and after finding Cindy Ellen, they get married and live happily ever after.
Great book for K-3 read aloud, after which students can compare and contrast this version with the traditional Cinderella story or use it as a mentor text and write their own spin on their favorite fairy tale.
Cindy Ellen is a Wild West take on the traditional fairy tale, Cinderella. It is the story of a girl named Cindy Ellen who takes first place at the rodeo and steals the heart of Joe Prince. Young readers will find the way the fairy godmother talks to be humorous and different. This is a picture book which I use as a read aloud in a first grade classroom. It's a great story to read while reading the traditional version and noticing similarities and differences. My students typically complete a Venn Diagram between the old and new version.
Cinderella often annoys me--she's lacks agency. Everything is fixed by a fairy godmother first and then a prince. The girl does nothing. This retelling fixes that, to an extent. We still have a fairy godmother and a prince (rich rancher's son), but Cindy Ellen is a talented rodeo rider and first impresses the "prince" with her rodeo talents before they square dance together. Also, one of the things her fairy godmother gives Cindy Ellen is gumption--which is exactly what Cinderella usually lacks.
Oh and it was fun to read with all the wild west figures of speech. 🤠
This is a fun book for adults to read on their own, but IDK how kids could read it on their own and understand it. It is chock full of idioms and unfamiliar (to a kid) expressions. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I had to stop after every few words to make an aside to my 3rd graders (target audience) of what I had just said meant. If I were doing a big unit on idioms, I could easily use this book, but I was reading fractured fairy tales and found it confusing to the kids. The pictures are great, though, and support the text well.
Genre: Folklore / Fairy Tale (Western Retelling) This is the retelling of the classic Cinderella story set in the American Wild West. Cindy Ellen is a cowgirl mistreated by her mean stepmother and lazy stepsisters. With the help of her magical "Fairy Godcowgirl," she transforms into a radiant figure in sparkling spurs and cowboy boots to attend the big rodeo. Cindy Ellen outshines everyone, especially with her sharp shooting and riding skills, capturing the attention of the dashing Joe Prince. This is a fun book to read!
Personally, I did not like this book at all. It was too hard to read because it had a lot of western accents in it that were confusing and it did not flow well. It was suppose to be a spin off of Cinderella but did not do a very good job of retelling it. However, this could be a good book to have in your classroom and compare it with other Cinderella books and do a compare and contrast type activity.
I thought this book was a good version of the Cinderella story, but it wasn't outstanding by any means. I would however use this in my classroom to relate other Cinderella stories and contrast how each are different in different cultures. The illustrations in this story were very bright and took up the whole page so children could really get into the story and visualize the text even if they have not been introduced into the wild west culture very much.
A spin the classical Cinderella story set in the west. Cindy Ellen is a cowgirl living with her stepmother and stepsisters. When she decides to go to a rodeo, her fairy godmother helps her out with a little bit of magic. In the end, Cindy wins first place in the rodeo and marries Joe Prince. I would use this book when talking about different cultures and how we can all relate to each other using various Cinderella stories.
I only picked up this book because as a child I believed that my mother’s full name, nickname Cindy, was Cinderella. I was crushed to discover otherwise. This turned out to be a darling book with so cute reimagining. Ironically the “ball” is a rodeo followed the next night by a square dance. My mother had a square dance for her wedding reception. I wonder if there is something she’s not telling me?
This was a cute twist on the classic fairy tale. I thought it would have been better if she didn’t need a prince but it did follow the classic storyline. Going to rodeos growing up allowed me to connect better with this version but I feel it could be seen as stereotypical. Of all of the different cultures that could be and are represented in a story like Cinderella, this would not be one I would choose.