Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me.

And so begins this retelling of the tale of Cinderella. Ella was blessed at birth by a fairy with the gift of obedience - imagine having to obey everyone! Ella does what she can to rebel and delay following orders but in the end she must. After her mother passes away, her father remarries the evil stepmother and terrible stepsisters we are all familiar. Ella does not sit by passively accepting her fate. She searches for the fairy to end her curse, torments her stepsisters right back and falls in love with her prince. Like all good fairy tales, it is only when Ella realizes her own strength found within that everything ends happily ever after. The glass slippers, pumpkin coach and fairy godmother are all found here just as in the original Cinderella. Ella and the prince first become friends and then fall in love. A nice change of pace over the 'their eyes meet, fall in love and live happily ever after' love story.

I thought the author did a great job demonstrating Ella as a strong, feisty girl.

Levine, G. C. (1997). Ella enchanted. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
ISBN:0060275103

Russian Folk-Tales by James Riordan

A collection of translated Russian folk-tales ranging from the familiar to the unknown.

This collection contains both fairy and beast tales. Interesting, woman/girls are portrayed more often as heroines and controlling their destiny and the author attributes this to the "Motherland" influence. Clearly identified as having model source notes located at the back and in endnotes. This really helped me understand the context of the stories as I am not Russian nor did I study children's literature. The text is the focus here with almost page long text and few illustrations. Repetition and cadence typically used to keep children's attention is not employed here making this more appropriate for 8-12 year old children. Illustrations are colorful and unique. I don't think I have seen anything quite like them in any of the books I have read.

I found the stories to be darker and not as interesting as other folktales. I wonder if it was my unfamiliarity with them that made the difference. Let's face it the witch fattening up Hansel and Gretel to eat is not the most heartwarming tale. And the nursery rhyme about 'when the bough breaks the baby will fall...' is disturbing now as an adult!

Riordan, J. (2000). Russian folk-tales. Oxford, England: University Press.
ISBN: 0192745360
Illustrated by Andrew Breakspeare

The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg

A retelling of the English fairy tale popularized by Joseph Jones in 1890. Here, mother pig, Serafina Sow, begins a waffle making business. When she retires, her three sons takeover the business where they encounter the familiar wolf. It is mother pig who helps save the day and no one is killed.

A beast tale with well-made source notes referencing Joseph Jacobs and briefly describing the tales many incarnations and insight on writing this version. The narrative uses short sentences, repetition, cadence and amusing word choices making this an excellent read aloud choice. The illustrations are amusing, detailed and will amuse children and adults. My favorite sign within the illustration was:

"Hamlet and La Toasta
an opera
by Porcini"

I read this after The Sleeping Beauty and it was obvious this book was written and illustrated for a younger audience.

Kellogg, S. (1997). The three little pigs. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books.
ISBN: 0688087329
Illustrated by author

The Sleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman

A retelling of the Brother's Grimm tale accompanied by beautiful illustrations. An angry fairy places a spell on a princess so that on her fifteenth birthdays she will fall asleep for 100 years. As the princess sleeps, so does the other staff and family in the castle and briars grow over the castle. A prince wakes her with a kiss after 100 years and the other castle inhabitants awake and everyone lives happily ever after.

A fairy tale retold from the Brothers Grimm folktale of the same with fine-print source notes on the title page. The narrative style, like the original folktale, does not rely on rhyming or cadence but pulls the reader in with descriptions and short sentences. The detailed illustrations are a work of art and bring an originality to a well-known fairy tale.

Hyman, T.S. (1977). The sleeping beauty. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.
ISBN: 031638702
Illustrated by the author