ISBN: 0688802990
This story is about a girl, Cinderella, whose father married a cruel woman with two cruel daughters after the death of Cinderella's mother. The stepdaughters are jealous of Cinderella because she is both beautiful and kind. They force her to become their slave. One day Cinderella plants a hazel tree on her mother's grave and whenever Cinderella asks for something at the tree, a white dove grants her wish, but the magic runs out at midnight. The prince throws a three day ball and Cinderella goes without her family's knowledge by asking the dove for nice clothing to wear. On the third night of the ball, Cinderella loses track of time and loses her slipper as she's running away from the ball. The prince goes door to door searching for the woman whose foot fits the slipper. Though the stepsisters try to deceive the prince, he finds Cinderella and they get married.
This story has the classic theme of good triumphing over evil, and the importance of being beautiful on the inside. Cinderella is so beautiful because she's such a good person. The stepsisters are cruel and end up being ugly on the outside, because their eyes are gouged out. Not a lot is said about the characters - just who represents good and who represents evil. But that's all the reader really needs to know.
The illustrations are drawn as paintings and are extremely colorful. The stepsisters and stepmother are drawn with sneering faces and dark hair, while Cinderella and the prince have very light colored hair and kind faces.
With an enduring theme and beautiful illustrations done by a Caldecott award winning illustrator, this book is one that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
