Cinderella liberator

In this progressive retelling, Solnit carefully excises nearly every aspect of the "Cinderella" tale that readers might find objectionable. No one falls in love, the prince wishes he was a farmer, and the stepsisters eventually apologize to Cinderella, who herself says, "It was very interesting to see all the fancy clothes... but even more interesting to see lizards become footwomen." Every possible moral lesson is explicitly spelled out-"everyone can be a fairy godmother if they help someone who needs help, and anyone can be a wicked stepmother"-and the low-key action, which resolves in everyone finding the work that suits them, supports the idea that "there is no happily ever after, only... tomorrow... and the day after that." Illustrations based on Rackham's masterful, timeless silhouettes offer a counterpoint to a text that is very much of the moment. Ages 7-10. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

With a little help from her fairy godmother, Cinderella takes care of business while learning how to be her "best and freest" self.With the avowed intention of creating a "kinder" vision of the familiar tale that also gets away from the invidious notion that marrying (preferably marrying up) is the main chance in life for women, Solnit (Call Them by Their True Names, 2018, Kirkus Prize winner in nonfiction) offers younger readers this revisionist Cinderella. She arrives at the ball attended by transformed "footwomen," befriends Prince Nevermind (who really just wants to be a farmer), and, while her stepsisters take up careers in fashion, goes on to open a cake shop where she harbors refugee children. The author's efforts to get away from sexist tropes and language aren't entirely successful (one stepsister becomes a "seamstress," for instance), and an analytical afterword in cramped type that rivals the tale itself for length further weighs down the wordy, lecture-laden narrative. Still, readers ready to question the assumptions innate in most variants, European ones in particular, will find this one refreshing. The carefully selected Rackham silhouettes, first published a century ago, invest "Ella" with proactive spirit while (as the author notes) sidestepping racial determinations (in skin color at least, if not hair texture).A story with a serious claim to universality again proves that it can bear a carriage full of messages. (lengthy source note) (Folktale. 8-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.