Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal

Paul Fleischman has just published a very clever treatment of the Cinderella motif. Rather than gathering complete versions of Cinderella stories, he has combined the elements into one story. Where the stories vary, the elements are listed within a frame marked with the name of the country that variation comes from. For instance, the clothing she wears to the ball is a gown - or a cape - or a sarong - or a kimono. Fleischman does the same for the shoes. Not all the variations are listed. Important plot elements are chosen from one tradition or another but it all adds up to a fascinating story to read and to share. The illustrations by Julie Paschkis add a lot, too.