In Search of Cinderella

Cinderella is one of the most well known stories in the world. There are thousands of versions and almost every culture has one. The earliest recorded tale comes from China in the middle of the ninth century. Yeh-shen is the heroine and, while there is no fairy godmother, there is a magical fish to help her and a golden shoe identifies her to the prince. Perrault’s Cinderella (1697) is the next written version to appear and features a fairy godmother, a pumpkin carriage, animal servants, and glass slippers. Ashenputtel (1812), the Grimm Brothers’ German version, does not have a fairy godmother. The Ash Girl plants a tree on her mother’s grave and magical help comes in the form of a dove. In recent times, the tale of Cinderella has inspired countless picture books, fractured fairy tales, musicals, novels, ballets, movies, games and websites. Enjoy your journey into the many realms of this timeless tale!

China: Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story From China by Ai-Ling Louie.

Middle East: The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella by Rebecca Hickox: This is based on a Cinderella story from Iraq called “The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold” in Inea Bushnaq’s Arab folktales.

Native American: Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story retold by Robert D. San Souci.

Native American: The Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella retold by Penny Pollock.

Ireland: Fair, Brown & Trembling: An Irish Cinderella by Jude Day.

Jewish: The Way Meat Loves Salt: A Cinderella Tale From the Jewish Tradition by Nina Jaffe.

Egypt: The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo.

Persia: The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo.

India: The Enchanted Anklet: A Cinderella Story From India translated and adapted by Lila Mehta.

Korea: Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story From Korea adapted by Oki S. Han and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett.

France: Cinderella by Charles Perrault and translated by Diane Goode.

France: Cinderella: The Little Glass Slipper, A Free Translation From the French of Charles Perrault.

Germany: Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm retold by Nonny Hogrogian.

Mexico: Domitila: A Cinderella Tale From the Mexican Tradition adapted by Jewell Reinhart Coburn.

Philippines: Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella adapted by Myrna J. de la Paz.

Cambodia: Angkat: The Cambodian Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn.

Caribbean: Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci.

Indonesia: The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story by Judy Sierra.

Vietnam: The Golden Slipper: A Vietnamese Legend retold by Darrell Lum.

United States: Little Gold Star: A Spanish American Cinderella Story retold by Robert D. San Souci.

United States: Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella by Alan Schroeder.

Africa: Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe.

International in General: Cinderella collected by Judy Sierra: Versions of Cinderella are presented that represent many cultures, regions, and styles. It includes information about the tale, related activities, and resources.

Cinderella Adaptations

Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella by Susan Lowell: Cindy Ellen loses one of her diamond spurs at the square dance in this wild western retelling of the classic Cinderella story.

Cinderella at the Ball by Margaret Hillert: An easy-to-read retelling of how Cinderella gets to the ball.

Cinder-Elly by Frances Minters: In this rap version of the traditional fairy tale, overworked younger sister gets to go to a basketball game and meets a star player, Prince Charming.

Cinderella, the Dog and Her Little Glass Slipper by Diane Goode: In this retelling of the classic fairy tale, a attractive mutt wins the heart of a prince with the help of her canine grandmother.

Cinderella’s Rat by Susan Meddaugh: One of the rats that was turned into a coachman by Cinderella’s godmother tells his version of the beloved fairy tale.

Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella by Tony Johnston: This version of the familiar tale in which a stepchild finds happiness with the ‘man’ of her dreams is set in the old-growth forest and features Bigfoot characters.

If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella by Laura Whipple: Thirty-three poems bring to life the voices of the familiar and not-so-familiar characters from Cinderella, including Cinderella, her father, stepmother, and garden cat, as well as the rat, the prince, and the famous slipper.

Little Gold Star: A Cinderella Cuento = Estrellita de Oro retold in Spanish and English by Joe Hayes: In this variation of the Cinderella story, coming from the Hispanic tradition in New Mexico, Arcia and her wicked stepsisters have different encounters with a magical hawk and are left physically changed in ways that will affect their meeting with the prince.

Sesame Street: CinderElmo (Videocassette): Join CinderElmo as he goes to the ball of the beautiful princess with the help of his Fairy Godperson.

Cinderella (Videocassette) with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein: Cinderella comes to life in this enchanting, musical version of the world’s most beloved fairy tale.

Cinderella (Videocassette): Disney’s animated classic from 1949.

Cinderella (DVD): A Disney production of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Whoopi Goldberg, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, Victor Garber and Jason Alexander.

Cinderella: Songs From the Classic Fairy Tale: Songs from Rogers &
Hammerstein’s musical, Cinderella.

Walt Disney’s Cinderella: An original Walt Disney soundtrack from the animated classic, Cinderella, made in 1949.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and read by Eden Riegel: In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.

Disney’s Cinderella’s Dollhouse: Decorate an array of fairytale settings ­ from the tiny Mouse House to the lavish Royal Palace. Hundreds of accessories will let you magically transform each room.

Disney’s Princess Fashion Boutique: Cinderella, Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty guide children through software for designing princess gowns that they can try on themselves, creating collages with animation and music, and exploring enchanted worlds.

The Annotated Cinderella: Enjoy the classic fairy tale version of Cinderella and gain a deeper understanding of the words and phrases, if desired, by clicking on them. Also available from this site are links to the history of Cinderella, illustrations, similar tales across cultures, modern interpretations and a bibliography.

Cinderella: Did you know that Conkiajgharuna (the Little Rag Girl), Rashin-Coatie, Pepelyouga, and Katie Woodencloak are all Cinderella tales? Find out what countries they are from and discover other versions as well, many of which are not available in print format.

Cinderella Stories: This site offers an extensive list of Cinderella tales that have been printed as picture books, or that appear in folktale collections.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales:Cinderella: Listen to the Grimm’s version of Cinderella as you read along. You might be surprised at what happens to the evil stepsisters at the end of this tale!