Many of us are familiar with the notion of Cinderella, her evil step sisters, a coach turning into a pumpkin at midnight and a magical glass slipper. Many of us have this concept via a certain Disney movie, or a landmark castle in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, though many are not aware that it is a theme which runs thorugh various world cultures.
As we employ the Open the door to your world theme during the 08/09 school year, I would like to speak out about the varying cultural Cinderellas. Our Campus Center Library holds a number of these items , all are available to take home and enjoy.
The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo
The Irsh Cinderlad by Shirley Climo
The Golden Sandal: a Middle Eastern Cinderella story by Rebecca Hickox
Adelita : a Mexican Cinderlla story by Tomie DePaola
Cendrillon: a Cajun Cinderella by Shelia Hebert Collins
Salmon Princess: an Alaska Cinderella Story by Mindy Dwyer
Smoky Mountain Rose : an Appalachian Cinderella by Alan Schroeder
Sootface: an Ojibwa Cinderella Story by Robert San Souci
Glass Slipper Gold Sandal : a world wide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman
Also, as part of my 2008 NEH Summer learning workshop Not just a scenic road: ahistory of the Blue Ridge Parkway, at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, I did read Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella by Alan Schroeder to my Kindergarten classes. I did not introduce it as a Cinderella story to my students, but let them draw a natural comparison to the Disney version that so many children are familiar with.
I invite you to visit our Campus Center Library shelves , and discover these multi cultural titles.
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