Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-3-In a market glutted with fairy-tale retellings, one might feel justified in saying, "Absolutely no more Cinderella variations!" However, this accessible early reader about a kindhearted mutt with sorrowful eyes, her wicked stepfamily, and a princess who wants a dog more than anything else in the world is sweet, thoughtfully written, and appealing in its readability. Boelts avoids obvious arch doggy-puns in favor of a story that reveals the universal longing for companionship and compassion over material wealth and extra-fluffy tails. Wu's color illustrations complement the text with gentle humor.-Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Mercer Island Library, WA (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
Once upon a time, there was a mean stepdog-mother and two stepdog-sisters. Dogerella was their servant." This book casts a plaintive pup as Cinderella. She wants to go to the princess's ball and be chosen as the girl's prized pet. The story line doesn't work completely, but there's enough humor in the text and cloudy, old-fashioned-looking illustrations to sustain readers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this version of the Cinderella story, the familiar structure is cleverly reworked to fit the mid-level early-reader format. An adorable pug puppy appears as Cinderella in Wu's illustrations, while the stepmother is a haughty, white poodle and the stepsisters are an unfriendly chow and an aloof Afghan. Rather than a prince searching for a bride, a pampered princess named Bea wants a puppy for her seventh birthday. Her parents decide to have a ball for all the dogs in the kingdom so that Bea can choose her favorite as her pet. A purple-haired Fairy Dogmother helps Dogerella, providing a sparkly collar spelling out the dog's name as well as a mini-van to get to the ball. The collar is left behind at the ball as the parallel element to the glass slipper and is of course a perfect fit for Dogerella in the conclusion. The combination of dozens of dogs, an earnest princess and a touch of magic add up to a charming whole. (Early reader. 5-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
