1. Traditional Literature Text Comparison
By: Kristen Houlihan

2. Cinderella Brief Background
Cinderella is one of the most popular and well-known stories. It is known around the world, and in many cultures it can can be seen in the folklore. There are between 350 and 1500 different versions of this story worldwide.
Cinderella is based around the kind-young lady who suffers at the hands of her step family after her mother dies. In some versions, the father is absent or dead, and in others he is simply neglectful towards Cinderella.
The heroine has a magical guardian who helps her triumph over her nasty family and receive her greatest wish by the end of the tale. The guardian is sometimes a representative of the heroine's dead mother. In most tales she is referred to as the Fairy Godmother. Most of the tales include a magical event sparked by an article of clothing (usually a shoe or glass slipper) that causes the heroine to be recognized for her true worth.

3. Cinderella (Disney Version)
This is the version that we are probably most familiar with. In this version, Cinderella has neither a mother or a father, and is living with her wicked stepmother and two evil stepsisters. Cinderella gets her name because she would often fall asleep beside the fire, and cinders would fall onto her face. The prince of the kingdom hosts a ball in order to try to find a bride, and Cinderella is forbidden to go by her step-mother. After everyone in the house leaves to go to the ball, Cinderella gets a little help from her fairy Godmother and is able to go to the ball. While there, she loses one of her glass slippers that the prince eventually uses to find her.
This is the story that will be compared to the most throughout this presentation.

4. Cinderella (Brothers Grim)
Has many of the same elements of the Disney version of the story, but isn’t as kid-friendly.
Differences include:
Cinderella (Aschenputtel)’s fairy godmother is a magic tree growing on her mothers grave.
When the stepsisters try to fit their feet in the glass slipper, they cut off pieces of their feet to do so.
There are three balls instead of one, and during the last one, the prince convers the ground with pitch so that one of Cinderella’s shoes is left behind.
Stepsisters end up getting their eyes plucked out by Cinderella’s bird friends at the end.

5. Cinderella from around the world

6. China Yeh- Shen: Retold by: Ai-Ling-Louie Illustrated by: Ed Young
Yeh-Shen is the oldest Cinderella story to date. The story dates to the T’ang dynasty, and the original author is Tuan Ch’eng-Shih.
In this story, Yeh-Shen’s father married two wives, who both had daughters. After her mother died, Yeh-Shen was raised by the second wife, who hated her because Yeh-Shen was prettier than her daughter.
Yeh-Shen had one friend, a fish who she had caught and raised herself. The stepmother heard about the fish and dressed up as Yeh-Shen and killed it.
Yeh-Shen learns that the bones of the fish are magical and uses the properties to keep herself fed, and to finally go to the festival.
The illustrations in this book look like watercolor, and are placed over the span of both pages.

7. Egypt The Egyptian Cinderella By: Shirley Climo
Illustrated by: Ruth Heller
Egypt
Rhodopis, a Greek slave in ancient Egypt, is given a pair of rose-red slippers by her kindly old master. When a falcon swoops down and soars away with one of them, she is heartbroken. Little does she know that the falcon will deliver her slipper to the great Pharaoh himself, who will search Egypt to find its owner.
This story is both fact and fable. The story about the slippers might not be true, bit a Greek slave girl named Rhodopis married the Pharaoh Amasis and became his queen in B.C.
One of the world’s oldest Cinderella Stories. It was first recorded by the Roman historian Strabo in the first century B.C.

8. Illustrated by: Ruth Heller
Korea
The Korean Cinderella
By: Shirley Climo
Illustrated by: Ruth Heller
Story takes place 300 years ago in Korea, and the main character’s name is Pear Blossom instead of Cinderella.
In this story, Pear Blossom loses her shoe on the way to the festival, instead of on the way home. A nobleman sees her lose her shoe and searches the whole festival for her.
There is no fairy godmother, only kind animals who help her complete her chores so that she can go to the festival.
Illustrations are beautiful, and often take up entire pages. Ruth Heller went to Korea before illustrating the book, and traditional Korean elements can be seen in the story. For example, the wedding ducks in the story are a symbol of fidelity.

9. America Smoky Mountain Rose An Appalachian Cinderella
By: Alan Schroeder
Illustrated by: Brad Sneed
America
This book is told in Appalachian dialect, where Rose (Cinderella) goes to a party and meets a “rich-feller”
Has many of the traditional elements of the familiar Cinderella story, but instead of a fairy godmother, there is a magic hog that helps Rose go to the party.

10. Ireland Billy Beg and His Bull Retold by: Ellin Greene
Illustrated by: Kimberly Bulcken Root
This version has a male protagonist named Billy Beg. He has a pet bull that his mother gave him, and after she dies and his father remarries, his new stepmother orders to have it killed. The bull and Billy escape and begin on a quest together.
His bull is magic, and is able to turn a stick into a sword that gives Billy the strength of a thousand men, and also a handkerchief that always has food.
His bull has to fight many enemies throughout the quest, and ends up getting killed by another bull. Billy continues the quest alone and comes across a farm and asks the owner if there is work for him. The owner says that if Billy doesn’t get killed like the other farmhands, then he will get paid.
With the help of the magic sword, Billy defeats the giants that come to kill him and gets the money for his job. He then hears about how the princess will get eaten by a dragon if someone does not save her. Many try to save her, and Billy disguises himself and goes to where the princess is and defeats the dragon. As he is trying to escape, the princess grabs one of his shoes and begins her hunt for her savior.

11. Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney
Caribbean
Cendrillon
By: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney
This story is told from the godmother’s perspective instead of from Cinderella’s. Cendrillon’s godmother was given a magic wand by her mother, and uses it to help Cendrillon go to the ball. This new perspective gives the story a twist.
This story is told using Creole words and gives a glossary of the vocab at the end of the story.

12. Funny Retellings Cinderella Penguin Dinorella By: Janet Perlman
By: Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole
Funny Retellings
Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella
By: Tony Johnston and James Warhola
All of these have familiar elements throughout the text. Change of characters allow for all students to enjoy the story. Dinorella is great for teaching alliteration, the entire book is written with it.

13. Illustrated by: G. Brian Karas
Modern Version
This book is written entirely in poem form. One could even rap it if they wanted
Elly wants to go to the big basketball game, and a fairy godmother grants her with glass sneakers so that Elly can go and watch the Prince play in the big game.
Poems help to teach children with fluency and the modern elements give children something that they can relate to.
Cinder-Elly
By: Frances Minters
Illustrated by: G. Brian Karas

14. Activities
On a map of the world, find the countries or geographic areas where the Cinderella stories the class has read are based.
Compare illustrations in different versions of the story. How do they capture the mood? Do they add to the story by showing details or action not mentioned in the text?
3. Make a chart of the differences and similarities in versions of the Cinderella stories. Let the class select a favorite version and act out the story.