Prince Cinders

Title: Prince Cinders
Author and Illustrator: Babette Cole
Type: Picture
Grade Level: K-1
Rating: 4 out of 5

With a twist to the classic Cinderella, Prince Cinders is forced to to clean up after his three big hairy brothers.  A fairy tries to help but all her spells seem to go wrong.  Yet Princess Lovelypenny still seems to fall for Prince Cinders and sets out to find the prince who fits in the trousers left behind.

I found this story hilarious.  The text was funny and clever and the pictures were a perfect match.  If you can get a reader to laugh out loud (like I was!) then you know they are engaged in the book.  Prince Cinders is such a lovable and goofy character that the reader can't help but getting attached to him and cheering him on.  We get to know him and travel along with him as he (literally) grows and changes throughout the story (Peterson and Eeds).  Prince Cinders is a strong character that the reader identifies with.

Children know and love fairy tales.  Most children grow up knowing stories like Cinderella which is what Prince Cinders is based off of with a comedic twist.  As a teacher you could read both of these books and compare and contrast them.  You could discuss the differences and the effects from these differences between the classic and the contemporary version.  So not only will the children enjoy reading a familiar classic like Cinderella but they would also get to read a hilarious spoof of it all while learning to compare and contrast.

Rapunzel

Title: Rapunzel
Retold and Illustrated: Paul O. Zelinsky
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 3-5
Rating: 3 out of 5

To ease his pregnant wife's food cravings a husband repeatedly sneaks into his neighbors yard to pick her vegetables.  He eventually is caught by the sorceress who he had been stealing from and is forced into paying his debts back with his still to be born child.  Upon birth the sorceress takes the daughter and places her in a tower to be kept from everyone.  The only way to enter the tower if by climbing up the long ladder of Rapunzel's hair.

A concern of mine for this book is that it lacks any diversity.  The husband and wife are privileged, white, rich and young.  The sorceress is old and ugly.  Rapunzel is a rare beauty with pale skin, reddish gold hair and a beautiful voice.  The prince is young, handsome and brave.  Like most fairy tales Rapunzel does not challenge societal norms or attempt at diversification.  Just because of that does not mean the book is bad but I would like to try for as much diversity in my classroom readings as possible.

This book won  the Caldecott  Award in 1998 for its stunning and highly realistic oil paintings.  I would say the art in this book is its high point.  Since fairy tales are so popular with children you could read this book and discuss the art.  Create an art appreciation unit based off this story.  This book could even be used as an example of a different painting style.  Have this be the example and let children do their own paintings to this story, their own or others.