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A review by book_concierge
Cinderella by Marcia Brown
4.0
This is a new translation / adaptation of Charles Perrault’s famous story, with wonderful illustrations by Marcia Brown (for which she was awarded the Caldecott Medal).
What I really like about this version of the story is the way that Cinderella is portrayed as a very kind young woman, but clearly not a doormat. She speaks up for herself when it counts. Her stepsisters are never referred to as “ugly” either; rather they are selfish, self-absorbed, and rather hateful towards Cinderella. They are as blind to her virtues as they are to their own faults.
The translation also differs from original versions of the story in the way it ends – for the stepsisters. Cinderella, in her goodness, arranges good marriages for them to two lords in the Prince’s Court.
I was fascinated by the technique of Brown’s illustrations. She uses a few pen strokes to suggest a gown, for example, and then a wash of color to complete the image. This lends a rather ethereal, fairy-tale feeling to the drawings; very effective.
What I really like about this version of the story is the way that Cinderella is portrayed as a very kind young woman, but clearly not a doormat. She speaks up for herself when it counts. Her stepsisters are never referred to as “ugly” either; rather they are selfish, self-absorbed, and rather hateful towards Cinderella. They are as blind to her virtues as they are to their own faults.
The translation also differs from original versions of the story in the way it ends – for the stepsisters. Cinderella, in her goodness, arranges good marriages for them to two lords in the Prince’s Court.
I was fascinated by the technique of Brown’s illustrations. She uses a few pen strokes to suggest a gown, for example, and then a wash of color to complete the image. This lends a rather ethereal, fairy-tale feeling to the drawings; very effective.