Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleishman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella
By Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry Hold and Co.; $16.95
32 pp.; ISBN-13: 978-0805079531

Review by Amy Brozio-Andrews

For a fairy tale like Cinderella, one that's been told time and time again for generations, it's hard to imagine that a new retelling could really be that new, or that different, for readers. But Newbery Award-winning writer Paul Fleischman accomplishes just that with his new book Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella. He uses the ubiquity of the story across cultures to weave an enchanting tapestry of a tale that is familiar and new at the same time.

No matter her name, Cinderella, Ashpet, or any of a half dozen others, it turns out that this story is almost universal. It's commonly told as the tale of a young fatherless young woman's hard life under the thumb of a cruel stepmother who favors her own children. Cinderella's secret attendance at a royal ball is marked by her falling in love with the prince, and he with her. Her sudden departure though, leaves him with no more than her slipper, not even her name. And so he searches the kingdom until he finds the maiden whose foot can wear the special slipper, and they lived happily ever after.

Fleischman's book incorporates threads of the story as it's told in Ireland, Germany, Indonesia, China, Japan, Korea, Zimbabwe, Iran, Iraq, Appalachia, the West Indies, and more. The prose is smooth and lyrical, blending the details beautifully; for example, as Cinderella prepares for the ball, "…And on the girl's feet appeared a pair of glass slippers… diamond anklets… sandals of gold," while Julie Paschkis' textile-inspired art reveals the text is from France, India, and Iraq. The measured pace is almost reverent, the story still fresh because of these new details. The similarities between the tale as told in far away places is surprising, and the differences intriguing.

Paschkis' illustrations feature bright colors and folk art styles that reflect the cultures being represented in each part of the retelling. According to the author, the first known version of Cinderella goes back to 9th century China. The numerous versions that have bloomed since then are a testament to the broad appeal of this story of wrongs righted and happy endings. These other related versions that Fleischman has collected and made his own add richness and diversity, while Paschkis' creative artwork blends the name of the country each small scene is from into the page, with complementary colors and visual styles. In addition, the endpapers are printed with a folk art-style map of the globe, with the countries featured in the book pinpointed on the map.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella is a charming and dynamic multicultural retelling of the story that children have loved for years, sure to become a classic in it's own right.