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A review by gymnerdreader
Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson
5.0
Annotated Bibliography Entry: Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson
Summary:
This is a fragmented tale of Cinderella. It is basically the classic Cinderella with a few twists: Cinderella is not as one-dimensional as the classic and there is Cinder Edna, a girl who lives the same type of lifestyle as Cinderella, but has a more positive outlook on life and love and actually knows how to do stuff on her own. She is independent, buys her own dress for the ball and takes the bus, rather than relying on a fairy godmother. Both Cinderella and Cinder Edna attend the same ball, but both have different experiences. Cinderella meets a handsome prince and is smitten with him, while Edna thinks his lifestyle is rather boring since he just sits on his throne all day talking politics. Instead she meets Rupert, the prince's brother who is much more of a go-getter than his brother. Once the clock strikes 12 both the ladies leave and the lovers try to find them. In the end, both find their perspective brides and marry them in a double ceremony. However, it is not a happy ending for all of them. Ella is bored by her husband's lifestyle and Edna has a happy marriage with a husband who is her best friend. GIRL POWER!
Personal Response:
As I mentioned before: GIRL POWER! I love how this book treated women as independent, rather than someone who has to rely on others for help. I love that the characters in this book even Cinderella are not one-dimensional like the typical story that most kids watch from Disney. In a lot of ways it is more realistic (especially Cinder Edna) and I think kids will connect more with that. Edna is just like everyone else, she is average and not just some fantasy character. This book still has though fantasy elements, but is much more realistic. I also liked the not so happy ending for some of the characters. Very realistic, which I think is refreshing. I remember my teachers reading this book to us in elementary school and I remember liking it so it was nice to explore and read it once again from a teacher's perspective.
Descriptions of Illustrations:
Pictures are very fantastical and fits the concept of a fairy tale. The colors work well. It is not as vibrant as other illustrations I have seen, but the pictures really do convey that it is a fairy tale of sorts that we are reading. I like that and find the pictures overall to be quite enjoyable and appealing.
Classroom Connections:
There are a lot of different things teachers could do with this book. For starters, a lot of kids are familiar with Disney's Cinderella and I think it would be nice to make a venn diagram and have the students compare and contrast the two stories finding what is similar and what is different about it. Since this book represents characters in a more multi-dimensional way, teachers could have the students pick out character traits for each of the main characters in the story (this doesn't just have to be Ella or Edna). Teachers could also have students describe each of the character's personality, encouraging them to use descriptive words, which will help with the character traits. As a writing activity, teachers could have students write about which character they liked and why. Did they like Cinderella or did they like Cinder Edna? I am sure the students could give a variety of different answers as to which character they liked better. I think it would be nice to see!
Summary:
This is a fragmented tale of Cinderella. It is basically the classic Cinderella with a few twists: Cinderella is not as one-dimensional as the classic and there is Cinder Edna, a girl who lives the same type of lifestyle as Cinderella, but has a more positive outlook on life and love and actually knows how to do stuff on her own. She is independent, buys her own dress for the ball and takes the bus, rather than relying on a fairy godmother. Both Cinderella and Cinder Edna attend the same ball, but both have different experiences. Cinderella meets a handsome prince and is smitten with him, while Edna thinks his lifestyle is rather boring since he just sits on his throne all day talking politics. Instead she meets Rupert, the prince's brother who is much more of a go-getter than his brother. Once the clock strikes 12 both the ladies leave and the lovers try to find them. In the end, both find their perspective brides and marry them in a double ceremony. However, it is not a happy ending for all of them. Ella is bored by her husband's lifestyle and Edna has a happy marriage with a husband who is her best friend. GIRL POWER!
Personal Response:
As I mentioned before: GIRL POWER! I love how this book treated women as independent, rather than someone who has to rely on others for help. I love that the characters in this book even Cinderella are not one-dimensional like the typical story that most kids watch from Disney. In a lot of ways it is more realistic (especially Cinder Edna) and I think kids will connect more with that. Edna is just like everyone else, she is average and not just some fantasy character. This book still has though fantasy elements, but is much more realistic. I also liked the not so happy ending for some of the characters. Very realistic, which I think is refreshing. I remember my teachers reading this book to us in elementary school and I remember liking it so it was nice to explore and read it once again from a teacher's perspective.
Descriptions of Illustrations:
Pictures are very fantastical and fits the concept of a fairy tale. The colors work well. It is not as vibrant as other illustrations I have seen, but the pictures really do convey that it is a fairy tale of sorts that we are reading. I like that and find the pictures overall to be quite enjoyable and appealing.
Classroom Connections:
There are a lot of different things teachers could do with this book. For starters, a lot of kids are familiar with Disney's Cinderella and I think it would be nice to make a venn diagram and have the students compare and contrast the two stories finding what is similar and what is different about it. Since this book represents characters in a more multi-dimensional way, teachers could have the students pick out character traits for each of the main characters in the story (this doesn't just have to be Ella or Edna). Teachers could also have students describe each of the character's personality, encouraging them to use descriptive words, which will help with the character traits. As a writing activity, teachers could have students write about which character they liked and why. Did they like Cinderella or did they like Cinder Edna? I am sure the students could give a variety of different answers as to which character they liked better. I think it would be nice to see!