The Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Same Direction by Hoobastank.



My reviews are a bit different than most. As an undercover superhero (ordinary girl extraordinaire), my purpose is to try and uncover hidden gems lost from the familiar radar. Because of this, I have set up some guidelines for myself (just like the pirate code). :)

I will focus on YA and Children's literature (with very rare exceptions).
I will not review any book that is one of the top 25,000 bestselling books (based on Amazon ranks).
I will try and aim for books 100,000 or larger.
I will review recent books or books of great merit (preferably both).

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Published: September 4th, 2007
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 32
Current Amazon Rank: #64,706
Author's Website: Paul Fleischman, Julie Paschkis
Want it? Find it here.



The First Line:

Once upon a time there lived a wealthy merchant whose wife had died.





My Take:

I have a secret love for picture books. Even though I don't have any kids, I buy them in abundance. They are simply remarkable to me. So much story in so few words, and so gorgeously/uniquely/stunningly illustrated! They bring me no small amount of joy. And you are about to be introduced to one I love.

Cinderella is a worldwide fairy tale. Some people have called it a phenomenon because in almost every culture of the world there exists a version of Cinderella. Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal is a celebration of all these.

From Zimbabwe to Iran, Laos, Indonesia and Mexico, seventeen different versions of Cinderella are melded into one lovely story here in a seamless and vivid way, highlighting the beauty of each culture but also revealing how similar we all really are. The story jumps between countries, sometimes in the middle of a sentence, but each country's name is shown in the background (which is really cool) and the story flows seamlessly.

The illustrations evoke each culture, paying homage to them and their uniqueness and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate and love this fact.

I loved this story. For me, I can't think of another picture book of Cinderella I ever want to show to my kids (when I have them) or as a recommendation to anyone else now.




The Final Word:

Absolutely lovely, this truly is a "worldwide Cinderella" story. It is the Cinderella I turn to now to appreciate all this fairytale is.