This was by far my least favorite version. Normally I like Edwards’ alliterative stories (where many words begin with the same letter), but this letter d-themed book fell short. Plus, the blond wig on Cinderella – not to mention the picture of her stepsister trying to squeeze into a corset – are just hilarious. Though many women try to prove otherwise, only the Rough-Face girl has seen The Invisible Being. And when she finally meets him face to face, he looks past her scars and sees the beauty inside her. This Algonquin American Indian folktale is the soulful cousin of the European versions. It features a girl maimed by cooking fires and ridiculed by her unblemished, beautiful sisters. The tale ends with the changing fortunes of the poor girl, namely in marriage, but the way she earns the reversal of fortune is very original. The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo (Author) and Ruth Heller (Illustrator) This is just an all-around great version that kids will love (as did my youngest three kids, ages 3, 5, and 7). Instead of the heroine being tiny and beautiful, Rrrrella is a big, smelly Bigfoot. She wins the prince’s heart when she’s the only Bigfoot strong enough to spin his log and dump him into the water. When she runs away, the prince is heartbroken. “Where my stinking beauty go?”

6 Great Multicultural Cinderella Picture Books | Book Riot 6 Great Multicultural Cinderella Picture Books | Book Riot

This version features Settareh, a beautiful young woman who catches the attention of the prince at the No Ruz festival. The story is well told, and illustrations are so beautiful that they almost look like photographs. The tale itself is very different from other versions; Settareh uses magic from a tiny glass bottle, and when her stepsisters get their hands on it they turn her into a turtledove. I grew up watching Disney’s Cinderella on repeat. I’m sure I’ve seen it so many times it’s created permanent neural pathways in my brain and deep inroads into my psyche. Little did I know about all the other Cinderella stories around the world. Who knew there was more than Disney’s version? Well, maybe smart people knew it was based on Charles Perrault’s telling in 1697. But did you know he was just regurgitating a story that has been told around the world for eons? This is an absolutely stunning picture book about two sisters who live with their father in Africa. One is kind and generous; the other is vain and cruel. When the young king searches for a wife, the sisters react in different ways. The king recognizes their true natures and chooses Nyasha, the kind and generous daughter, to be his queen. Cinderella is beautiful; Cinder Edna is plain. While a fairy godmother helps Cinderella dress for the ball, Cinder Edna wears a simple dress and loafers. Cinderella rides a carriage to the ball; Cinder Edna takes the bus.

You may be a teacher designing a unit study on multicultural Cinderella stories around the world. Or you may simply be an adult with enough good sense to let fairytales work their magic on you. Whatever the case, I’ve got six wonderful picture books that will broaden your perspective.

Cinderella - Read Aloud Picture Book | Brightly Storytime

The Turkey Girl promises, but she has so much fun at the dance that she fails to return in time. In the end, she loses her turkey friends and (we presume) is alone forever. Adelita is a young Mexican woman who lives with her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. The bright spot in her life is Esperanza, the kind old woman who had cared for her father when he was a baby. Esperanza helps Adelita reunite with a young man she had known as a child, and the two (of course) marry and live happily ever after. My three-year-old asked me to read him this silly version many times. Prince Cinders is a “small, spotty, scruffy, and skinny” prince with three big hair brothers. This is a fantastic book for teaching point of view. When you read one side of the book, you read the familiar tale. Flip it upside down and start from the other side, and you have a completely different story! In the Untold Story, Cinderella is a pretty but excessively imaginative girl who lives with her kind father, stepmother and stepsisters. In the end, she marries the prince’s cousin, who also likes to tell stories that aren’t true. The pictures in this book are a little weird (dogs dressed in old European clothing, complete with wigs, and walking on two feet). But my daughter enjoyed the humor in the illustrations, and the story is well-told without being too wordy.In this middle eastern tale, beautiful Maha works day and night for her cruel stepmother and stepsister. When Maha spares a little red fish from becoming the family’s dinner, it promises to help her whenever she needs it. Cinderella marries the handsome, proud, and vain Prince Randolph. Cinder Edna marries his plain, clever, and kind brother Rupert. Can you guess who lives happily ever after? Overall I found the story quite strange, and this wasn’t my favorite. But you may feel differently. This is one of those stunningly beautiful picture books that you just haveto read. This version (from Algonquin Indian folklore) tells the story of a girl whose face and arms are scarred by the fire her stepsisters force her to tend. A shy Prince Cinders runs away – leaving his trousers behind him. When the skinny Prince Cinders is the only man who fits the trousers, Princess Lovelypenny proposes immediately.