Friday, March 14, 2014

Cinderelephant

written and illustrated by Emma Dodd

Ages: 3-8 years (roughly grades preschool - 2)

This retelling of Cinderella is everything you’d expect from the classic tale and much, much more. Forced by her dreadful cousins, the Warty Sisters, to stay home from the royal ball, Cinderelephant meets her Furry Godmouse who ensures Cinder makes an appearance. Among the dancing hogs, gazelle, zebras and alligators, Cinderellephant stands out to Prince Trunky the lady he is least likely to squish while dancing. As you may have guessed, Cinderelephant flees at midnight, leaving behind a sparkly, pink stiletto that fits no one in the entire kingdom… until Prince Trunky finds his fair maid working in the hogs’ kitchen, and thereafter they live happily.

Although a run-of-the-mill retelling at first glance, Cinderelephant is chalk full of non-fairytale goodness in the form of rich vocabulary, various synonyms for “big”, and copious yet understandable word-play. What I liked best about this Cinder-story, is that even in all its glitz and glam and happy endings, the underlying message is that you don’t have to be the fairest of them all to get what you (and everyone else!) wants; as long as you are true to yourself (and are not as horrible as the Warty Sisters), someone will eventually appreciate you for being just that: you! A fun, enchanting story that will thrill those who enjoy classic fairytales and get giggles from all the rest. This tale is best suited for ages 3-8 years (roughly grades preschool through second).

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