Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4-8. In many Western versions of the Cinderella story, the poor girl is alone in a cruel world until the fairy godmother comes to her rescue. In this Korean story, the community--the village people and the animals and spirits who help Kongi with her tasks and with her costume for the prince's ball--is much more of a presence. There is also more reconciliation here: the cruel stepmother and her daughter, Potgi, do make Kongi do backbreaking work, and they do try to prevent her from attending the ball; but after the triumphant climax when the slipper fits and the prince claims her as his bride, the stepmother and her daughter are ashamed of themselves, and Kongi forgives them. Han's richly detailed watercolors give a strong sense of the Korean landscape, the rural household, and the outdoor marketplace; and the paintings show that the animals and spirits that help Kongi are a harmonious part of the human world. Young children will enjoy the story; older ones might like to compare this with other versions, old and new. (Reviewed November 15, 1996)0803715714Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Beautiful Kongi, a farmer's daughter, endures the mocking of her stepsister while patiently bearing her stepmother's unreasonable demands and impossible tasks. Helpful animals come to Kongi's rescue, and a flock of splendid angels produces a gown, embroidered slippers, and a sedan chair to carry her to the palace where the prince is choosing a bride. The plot resembles the familiar Perrault story, but the tone is sweeter, for stepmother and stepsister are forgiven and reformed in the end. According to the jacket flap, Han heard the story from her father when she was a child in Seoul; no other source is given. A note describes some aspects of pre-20th century Korean rural life. A version in Frances Carpenter's Tales of a Korean Grandmother (Tuttle, 1972) resolves the stepsisters' rivalry without a prince or slipper. Han and Plunkett present the story in a straightforward style, eschewing the verbal and visual embellishments of Shirley Climo's The Korean Cinderella (HarperCollins, 1993). Han's glowing watercolor illustrations are more specific and less cluttered than those in the earlier picture book. Well-designed scenes illuminate setting and character, while authentic details-chests, baskets, and sewing tools-invite viewers into Kongi's world. Useful for comparison with Cinderella stories from other parts of the world, the book would make an interesting contrast to Nina Jaffe's Older Brother, Younger Brother (Viking, 1995).-Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The virtuous Kongi is overworked and ill-used by her stepmother Doki and her stepsister Potgi, but an ox, a frog, a flock of sparrows, and some 'radiant angels' all come to her rescue. Eventually Kongi attends the prince's grand party and wins his heart. Han's detailed watercolors portray traditional Korean culture, and an introductory note offers additional information. From HORN BOOK 1996, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
There are several Korean variants of what most readers know as the story of Cinderella. In this one, Kongi is the lovely, uncomplaining, dutiful daughter and Potgi the hateful stepsister. The impossible tasks assigned to Kongi by her stepmother are performed for her by magical beings (a frog, a flock of sparrows, and a huge black ox); as in many of the European versions, and as Han and Plunkett (Sir Whong and the Golden Pig, 1993) note in a preface, these helpful creatures may represent the spirit of Kongi's dead mother. The familiar motif of the lost slipper is present here as well. This version ends happily for everyone: Potgi and her mother repent their cruelty to Kongi and are forgiven. As in Sir Whong, the watercolor illustrations are full of details depicting traditional Korean agrarian life and customs. Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller's The Korean Cinderella (1993) will probably remain the version of choice for sheer sumptuousness of color and design, but Hah and Plunkett's is different enough to make it worth consideration for serious folklore collections. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
