Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella by Alan Schroeder pictures by Brad Sneed

In this version of Cinderella, the tale takes place in the Appalachia mountains. The culture, language, and environment are clear through the words and illustrations of the picturebook.

There were some changes, but the story very much follows the Perrault version of Cinderella. One notable change was that of the father. He was a very minor character in Perrault's version, however he has a more prominent role in this story. The father asks Rose (Cinderella) if he should try to remarry and then feels remorse over how Rose is treated by the step-mother and sisters. I was glad that someone in the story loved Rose-- she wasn't completely forgotten by her father when he remarried.

The language used is very amusing. I felt like I could hear the narrator. Words are spelled as they are to be pronounced and colorful figurative language is used throughout. For example,

"Now lis'en" (the very first line of the book)

"Way I see it, we'd all fit together neater'n a jigsaw" (The father had high hopes for his new marriage.)

"why, they were so mean they'd steal flies from a blind spider" (describing the step sisters)

"they started a-howlin': 'Lawd-a-marcy! Who'd want to dance with a dirt clod lak you?'" (I love how he spelled like)

My favorite part though, is the fairy godmother. It's a pig who can talk and do magic. She has no magic wand but grunts and carries on when doing magic.

The illustrations in Smoky Mountain Rose are beautiful. They are watercolors with vivid colors. Most of the illustrations are full-bleed on one page with text on the other. The use of full-bleed illustrations is different than other fairy tales. Usually, like in the Perrault version, illustrations are framed, giving the reader a sense of distance. But, that is not the case in Smoky Mountain Rose. The reader is drawn into the illustrations and I think it makes Rose a more "real" character. Rose is depicted in various places on the page. When the attention is on her, she is centered however her back is in view when she is being mistreated. It is not until you see her at the ball that she is centered and faces the reader. Throughout the ball scene, she is obviously the center of attention in the text and the illustrations.