I chose Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci because my husband is from the Caribbean and I thought it would a nice addition to our library at home and a way for Lady C to learn more about French Caribbean culture.
Age range for this book was 5-10 which is a little above Lady C (she is 3) but we have NEVER been shy about reading longer stories to her even if it means breaking it up over a few days. That is what we did with this book. We broke the book up between two nights before story time and on the second night she was excited to start where we left off to learn more about Cendrillon.
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| Excited to read Cendrillon |
The general theme of this Cinderella story is similar to the one we know -
A sweet girl named Cendrillon becomes a servant to her new stepmother and stepsister. Her godmother (Nannin') who has magical powers feels bad for her when she's not invited to the birthday party (fet) of the son of a wealthy family in the area. Her Nannin' fashions her a brand new outfit and transportation to attend the event. Of course at midnight, the spell wears off and Cendrillon runs off, leaving behind her embroidered shoes. The wealthy son falls in love with her, searches for her by having women in the village try on the lost shoe and only Cendrillon can fit it. She wins his love!
The story did a great job of incorporating aspects of the culture throughout the book....
- Instead of a pumpkin turning into a carriage - it was breadfruit, a local fruit of the region.
- The horses for the carriage are not mice - they are rodents local to the French Caribbean.
- You see Cendrillon at local markets and washing clothes by a river.
- Instead of a tiara or crown - Cendrillon wears a beautiful turban to the fet.
An added plus to the book was an index of vocabulary at the end explaining some of the local terms and French translation. I love when books offer miniature learning tools at the end to give the reader a greater understanding and provides you with the opportunity to learn a new language.
Great classic story with a cultural flare!
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I love this version of Cinderella for the same reasons. My family hails from islands with french influence and so this version is culturally familiar.
ReplyDeleteHave you read the story Dee?
DeleteYes, I'm an avid collector of fairy tales and one year, my older daughter and I decided to read as many versions of Cinderella as we could find. It was sparked by her reading a Native American version in school.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, Aisha I need to add this to the library. I just started reading fairy tales to Lady C, so I know this would be great to include.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely version. I think we would enjoy all the cultural aspects of this story as well as learning some new vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteIt really was lovely and great to see the same story from another lens
DeleteI am so glad that you picked this version- your added cultural insight is wonderful!!! :) My kids always like to see heroes/heroines that look like them, and immediately my son (Ethiopian) announced that this was HIS story, but we could all continue to listen. Thanks for sharing!
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