If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella - Hardcover

Whipple, Laura

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689840705 ISBN 13: 9780689840708

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002

Synopsis

If the Shoe Fits: Voices from Cinderella takes a fresh look at an old and favorite story. In thirty-three poems it brings to life not only the voices of well-loved characters, but also voices of characters not usually heard from -- including the glass slipper, without which the story would not have a happy ending. On the stage set by the story we hear each player tell the tale from their point of view, answering the questions that swirl around Cinderella:
Is the ghost of Cinderella's father at peace in the afterlife? What has made Cinderella's stepmother so cruel? Can a rat be as happy as a human? How do the prince's mother and father feel about Cinderella for their son? Does the Magic One's Magic last forever? Do the glass slippers realize how important a role they play in the life of one girl? Is there a quiet someone, with a gentle purr, who is a secret accomplice? And, finally, what does Cinderella herself have to say to us about her own story?
Through the rhythms of Laura Whipple's poetry and the sweeping colors of Laura Beingessner's artwork, Cinderella's story is spun anew for audiences of all ages to celebrate.

About this title

About the Author

Laura Whipple is the author of If the Shoe Fits, a Simon & Schuster book.

Reviews

Grade 3-6-An imaginative extension of the classic fairy tale and an interesting examination of point of view. In 33 poems, readers hear from the evil stepmother, the prince, the fairy godmother, the ghost of Cinderella's father-even the rat who becomes the coachman. Cinderella herself begins and ends the book. In the prelude, she speaks as an elderly woman. "I remember the voices of my young life/like melodies on sheets of song/long stored in a dusty box./I bring some out for you." Whipple finds story and emotion in unlikely places. For example, each of Cinderella's shoes speaks ("I was born for dancing/and the warmth of small feet"). Each one pines to be reunited with the other in a way that reflects the prince's search for Cinderella. The smooth writing has a relaxed, conversational flow. Luminous gouache paintings use soft, clear colors and flowing lines to present scenes in an attractive and traditional way. This book has excellent potential for classroom use, both for creative-writing activities and for reading aloud. It will also be enjoyed by children who simply love the story. It's satisfying to see a fresh take on a European folktale that isn't a parody. Gwen Strauss's Trail of Stones (Knopf, 1990; o.p.) also treats folktales poetically, but is for an older audience and covers several different stories rather than just one.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This intriguing work reenvisions the time-honored tale of midnight magic as a strand of narrative poems. Beginning with Cinderella in her old age, first-time author Whipple gives voice to the cast of characters, from the remorseful father, now a ghost, to the unrepentantly greedy, grasping stepmother (Ah, rich, rich, rich. I love the rhythm of rich!), and stepsisters (While we're dancing, sleep in ashes and brush the soot from off your lashes). Readers hear from the fairy godmother and the royal family as well, including the besotted prince (Wait! Who's that? Smile like moonbeams on a splashing spring). Whipple renders moments of melancholy (Father comes to my dreams, though he is gone. ... It seems right to dry tears with sackcloth and ashes says Cinderella) as fully as comic touches (e.g., the rat-turned-coachman cries, Where was my tail, long and slim, a-switching? Totally gone! Just a memory of motion) even the glass slipper gets a turn (I grieve for the glow of my mate). This fresh, engaging presentation of the Cinderella story unfolds like a lyric opera. Larded with wit, the volume returns to Cinderella, who offers up a sage gem: The music of true Magic sang only that once for me. After, I had to compose the music of my life. Beingessner alternates small inset portraits and vignettes with full-spread paintings of the godmother's gifts and the climactic moment at the ball; her swirling line and color conjure up the story's magical setting. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 5-8. It's difficult to imagine a good reason to add another treatment of Cinderella, but Whipple shows that there's always room for a new perspective. In this version the characters tell the story in blank verse. Cinderella reveals her grief over her father's death, and readers look through her eyes to see how her stepmother convinced her that "Bare feet, coarse clothes / show mourning." She is drawn gradually into poverty and servitude, but her fairy godmother keeps a close eye on her, as readers find out in "Messenger Cat": "Cat is messenger. / Cat is spy. / Cat is angel. / Cat is Cat." The story unfolds just as it always does, but the multiple points of view--from Cinderella's to the prince's to the rat's to the queen's-- enlarge and enrich the familiar tale to win a more sophisticated audience. The poems can't stand alone, but together they make a satisfying whole. Paintings by Beingessner achieve just the right mixture of sorrow, beauty, and humor. Susan Dove Lempke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689840705
• ISBN 13: 9780689840708
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Beingessner Laura
• Number of pages: 80