Cinderella by Charles Perrault retold by Amy Ehrlich illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Like many Americans, my knowledge of Cinderella comes from the Disney version I watched as a girl. So, I thought I should actually read the French version it was based on!

In Perrault's version of Cinderella, Cinderella is the stepdaughter who is forced to work unmercifully by her stepmother and sisters. When there is a ball, her fairy godmother makes her a coach, horses, a coachman, and a beautiful dress. She goes to the ball and enchants everyone-- even her stepsisters-- with her beauty and kindness. On the second night, she leaves behind her glass slipper. She tries it on later when the prince is looking for her. Her sisters ask for her forgiveness, she marries the prince, and all live happily ever after.

I can't help but compare this version to the Disney version. I cringed as I had the thoughts while reading, but it couldn't be helped. There are no mice that befriend Cinderella in the Perrault version. In the movie, there is only one ball that Cinderella attends and she is not as forgiving or kind to her sisters.

In Perrault's version, Cinderella's goodness and kindness are highlighted throughout. She is kind to her sisters at the ball and easily forgives them when they repent after realizing she is the princess from the ball. The moral seems to be that one should be forgiving no matter what others have done to you. I wanted to say, "They don't deserve your forgiveness! Don't be so nice to them! They are only repenting because they are selfish." I guess I'm too old for the fairy tale ending. And, I am none too sure I really want that to be the ending. Couldn't she have forgiven them but not welcomed them into her court and helped them marry well?

The illustrations in the book were beautiful. They were ink line drawings. The illustrations depicted Cinderella's emotions well. On the dedication page, you see Cinderella sitting by a gate looking forlorn, lonely, and sad. There is red bird that shows up in each illustration where Cinderella is being mistreated. It is as if the bird is her companion and friend. However, when she is at the ball or with her Fairy Godmother, the bird is not in the illustration. I probably wouldn't have even noticed him, but he is illustrated in the front matter and is also perched on Cinderella's shoulder on the cover. The illustrations added depth to Cinderella's character.