The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo illustrated by Ruth Heller

The Egyptian Cinderella tells the story of a Greek girl kidnapped and sold into slavery in Egypt. The other servants resented her because she was different, but her master loved how beautifully she danced. As a result, he gave her gold slippers. When the other girls went to see the Pharoah, Rhodopis was left behind. A falcon came along and stole one of her gold slippers. The falcon took the slipper to the Pharoah and he came looking for its owner. In time, he found Rhodopis. He married her and found her Greek features beautiful.

According to the author's note, the story of Rhodopis was first recorded in first century B.C. And, a greek slaved named Rhodopis did marry a Pharoah.

Unlike other Cinderella versions I have read, Rhodopis is not particularly kind. In all the other versions, the author states that she is very kind and good. However, that is not the case in The Egyptian Cinderella. Rhodopis is described as loving animals and dancing beautifully.

A falcon is the "magical" creature that leads the Pharoah to Rhodopis. (A falcon is the animal that the sky god, Horus, would come to earth as, according to the author's note.) So, while there is no fairy godmother changing the way Rhodopis (Cinderella) looks, an other-worldly character does allow the Pharoah and Rhodopis to meet.

The illustrations of the book remind me of artwork I have seen from Egypt. The characters are depicted in profile and the body positions are reminiscent of Egyptian artwork. Bodies are angular, hair hangs down and eyes are decorated. Even the falcon is similar to Egyptian artwork. While I think the pictures could have been culturally insensitive, each individual has different facial features. I did not get the impression that all of the women looked the same. The illustrations drew me into the story and reminded me that I was reading a different, earlier! version of a story I know well.