Cinderella and a Mouse Called Fred
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
This fresh, hilarious retelling of Cinderella--told by the mouse who will become Cinderella's coach horse--has a girl-power ending, a celebration of inclusivity, illustrations by a Caldecott Medalist...and even an explanation of how fairy tale pumpkins got their name!
If you thought you knew the fairy tale CINDERELLA, think again!
Did you know that the fairy godmother was actually grouchy? Or that the rodent she transformed into the coach's horse was named Fred? Or that Cinderella hid from the prince when he came looking for her with that uncomfortable glass slipper?!
A best loved fairytale is given the ending it deserves in this clever picture book that shows a heroine shape her own destiny...and find her fairytale princess.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hopkinson (Only One) and Zelinsky (All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah) conjure up a "Cinderella" tale that's a fizzy blend of traditional storytelling and contemporary perspectives. Ella, as she's known, is no mild-mannered protagonist; shown with pale skin, she's an expert gardener aiming to win a blue ribbon for finest pumpkin. When a grumpy fairy godmother sticks her in a floofy dress and uncomfortable footwear, Ella's response is an exasperated "Seriously? Glass high heels?" Garden mouse Fred, meanwhile, undergoes an involuntary transformation into a coach horse who can't get a hoof anywhere near his chronically itchy ears. Emerging from the ball flushed with anger—a wonderfully cartooned scene—Ella hurls her remaining glass slipper against a lamp post. She has discovered that the prince not only doesn't share her interest in gardening, he abhors dirt. "I'll find my own destiny, thank you very much," she says, and goes on to grow that prize-winning pumpkin and win the heart of a farmer, portrayed with light brown skin, who loves Ella "just as she was. And Ella loved her right back." Why just fracture a fairy tale when one can infuse it with new possibilities for self-determination? A note about fairy tale pumpkins concludes. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
