Bonnie Ferrante's Blog, page 63

The Ugly Princess: The Legend of the Winnowwood by Henderson Smith. Book Review.

I was fortunate to have received a free copy of The Ugly Princess for review. Reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood fairytales, Tatterhood, the heroine is brave, intelligent, magical, and ugly. Henderson Smith has written a modern fairy tale women will love. Not only does Princess Olive have to live with a face only […]

Cinderella illustrated by K. V. Craft. A Month of Cinderellas – Last Post

At last, a Cinderella book that brings back the memory of my favorite fairytale book as a child. It was an entire volume of the Encyclopedia dedicated to classic fairy tales. Each double spread had long text on one side and a full-page glossy oil painting in great detail on the other. This book is […]

The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo. Illustrated by Ruth Heller. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

The illustrations in this book are remarkable. Their bright, lifelike quality fairly jumps from the pages. The detail in the braided baskets, flowers, and jewels is impressive. The rich, vibrant reds, greens and oranges give the illustrations power. Ruth Heller is one of my favorite illustrators. The story unfolds with the natural fairytale quality. “Long […]

Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from Korea by Oki S. Han and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

The book begins with “Some Facts About Korean Culture”. It explains the landscape, houses, dishes, marketplaces, and folktales as well as some vocabulary. The story plays out much like the traditional Cinderella story until Kongi needs help working in the stony field. At this point an ox speaks to her and helps her to plow. […]

Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella by Tony Johnson. Illustrated by James Warhola. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

On the back of the title page, tucked above the copyright information, is a small glossary explaining forest terms. The humorous tone is set immediately. “… Lived a dashing Bigfoot prince. He was tall and dark as a Douglas fir – with feet like cedar stumps. He was as odoriferous as his tree-home was coniferous. […]

Bubba the Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale by Helen Ketteman. Illustrated by James Warhola. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

In this wacky Cinderella, the roles are reversed. Miz Lurleen is looking for a husband. Bubba, the cowboy, is bullied by his step daddy and two stepbrothers Dwayne and Milton. When Baba is left behind, a fairy God cow gives him a dazzling new outfit so that he can attend the ball. (Why a cow […]

The Enchanted Anklet, A Cinderella Story from India. Translated and Adapted by Lila Mehta. Illustrated by Neela Chhaniara. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

The book begins with a foreword by Joseph T. O’Connell, Professor of Saints Michael’s College, University of Toronto. It discusses the unique qualities of this East Indian Cinderella tale. The illustrations are pen and pencil crayon and seem a bit amateurish. Most double spread have a full-page illustration and a full page of text. All […]

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Meg Hunt. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

There is so much I loved about this book. You may or may not want to read the original to a child first. This book stands well enough on its own. Cinderella is a self-taught mechanic who wants to fix fancy rockets. She lives on a planetoid with her stepfamily. They leave her behind when […]

Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Illustrated by Henry Cole. A Month of Cinderellas Continued.

This wacky version of Cinderella is told with a maximum number of words beginning with the letter D. It begins, “Dora, Doris, and Dinorella lived down in the sand dunes in a dinosaur den. Dora and Doris did nothing all day. They dumped debris around the den. They never did the dusting or the dishes. […]

Disney’s Cinderellas and Retell. A Month of Cinderellas continued.

Disney Cinderella: Kindness and Courage by Rico Green. Based on the screenplay by Chris Weitz. If you enjoyed this movie will probably be disappointed by the book. The reading level is two which means the story has been boiled down to something like Coles/Cliffs notes. As well, it ends when Ella enters the palace to […]