Cracker Cinderella

Cracker (Musical group). Gentleman's blues. Beverly Hills, CA: Virgin, 1998.

I just recently discovered one of the hidden tracks on the Cracker album Gentleman's Blues. It's called Cinderella and it features lead vocals by a female guest artist named L.P. She is simply amazing. If you like Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Lisa Kekaula, and Joan Osborne, you should give her a listen.

And speaking of Cinderella . . .

Here are some alternatives to the Disney version of the story:

DePaola, Tomie. Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002.

San Souci, Robert D., J. Brian Pinkney, and Charles Perrault. Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1998.

Meddaugh, Susan. Cinderella's Rat. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

Climo, Shirley, and Ruth Heller. The Egyptian Cinderella. New York: Crowell, 1989.

Climo, Shirley, and Robert Florczak. The Persian Cinderella. [New York]: HarperCollins, 1999.

Louie, Ai-Ling, and Ed Young. Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China. New York: Philomel Books, 1982.

Princesses

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Cohen, Della. Walt Disney's Cinderella: A Read-Aloud Storybook. New York: Mouse Works, 1999.

Who is your favorite princess? I like Cinderella. Although there are many, many different versions of the classic tale, I have to admit that I like Disney's rendition the best.


Here are some wonderfully illustrated children's books about princesses:


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Perrault, Charles, and Marcia Brown. Cinderella Or, the Little Glass Slipper. New York: Scribners, 1964.



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In this story, the girl actually becomes a queen.
Steptoe, John. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1987.


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Zelinsky, Paul O. Rapunzel. New York: Puffin Books, 2002.


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Grimm, Jarrell, Burkert. Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm ; Translated by Randall Jarrell ; Pictures by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1987.

I also really like the Princess Diaries series of teen books by Meg Cabot.


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Cabot, Meg. The Princess Diaries. New York: Harper Avon, 2000.

A book to match your costume

Myers, Christopher. Black Cat. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999. Print.

Lots of parents come to the library this time of year searching for books to match their children's costumes. Here are a few of my favorite pairings:

For the Egyptian princess:

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Climo, Shirley, and Ruth Heller. The Egyptian Cinderella. New York: Crowell, 1989. Print.

For the Tin Man:

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Baum, Frank J, and W W. Denslow. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. George M. Hill Company, 1900.Print.

For the fairy princess:

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Owen, Robert. The Golden Book of Peter Pan. Newnes, 1965. Print.
(Visit ProjectGutenburg.org for a free e-book of the unabridged, original story by J.M. Barrie.)

For Ben Franklin:

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Schanzer, Rosalyn. How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.

The possibilities are endless! Of course, we also get parents who ask us for last minute costume ideas. A ghost is pretty easy:

Bridwell, Norman. Clifford's Halloween. New York: Scholastic