1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
San Souci, Robert D. 1998. CENDRILLON: A CARIBBEAN CINDERELLA. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689848889
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Cendrillon has a godmother who loves her very much and wants us to know the real story. "You may think you know this story I am going to tell you, but you have not heard it for true." When Cendrillon’s haughty step-mother Madame Prosperine will not allow Cendrillon to attend the birthday ball for the handsome Paul Thibault, Cendrillon’s godmother, whom Cendrillon affectionately calls “Nannin’,” comes up with a plan to use her magic mahogany wand to help Cendrillion get to the party, where she meets the love of her life. Her beloved Nannin’ watches on, delightedly eating chocolate sherbet.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story is told in lively language that includes French Creole vocabulary sprinkled throughout. (A glossary and pronunciation guide is provided at the end for the reader’s benefit). The style is humerous and full of imagery; for example, “the girl’s big foot, with toes like sausages . . .” provides a laughable look at the step-sister Vitaline’s attempt to get her foot into the delicate pink slipper. A slight twist in this variant of the Cinderella story is when Cendrillon has the opportunity to allow Nannin’ to use her magic that same day Vitaline claims to own the shoe. Nannin’ uses the wand to recreate the trappings of the night Cendrillon met Paul, but Cendrillon decides against meeting Paul under the spell, allowing the young man to meet her as she really is. The story is based on life on the island of Martinique, and the costumes and descriptors are based on West Indian culture.
Brian Pinkney’s illustrations using scratchboard, luma dyes, gouache, and oil paints are bold and vibrant. The brush strokes provide a sense of movement to each illustration. Particularly interesting is the fact that most of the two-page spreads include one larger illustration that covers both pages with another smaller painting included in the text box which is surrounded by a painted border. The beautiful green island of Mer des Antilles is lushly illustrated and Paul’s manor house sets the grand stage for a ball.
The illustrations by this Caldecott Honor Award winner and the text by the acclaimed author of over 50 children’s picture books is a treat to be shared by young and old alike who enjoy the Cinderella story.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Publisher’s Weekly: “The lyrical cadences of the text spattered with French and Creole words combine with the sensuous paintings to bring the tropics to life.”
* Starred Review in Booklist: “Particularly vibrant, both in its melodious language and its spirited art. . . A vital rendition of an old favorite."
* Starred Review in School Library Journal: “An outstanding Cinderella variant for any collection."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Use Macmillan’s Caribbean coloring books to allow children to create illustrations of their own which they can then use to author their own original stories.
*Read The Illustrated Anansi: Four Caribbean Folk Tales by Philip Sherlock and illustrated by Petrina Wright and compare the stories with Cendrillon. How are they alike? How do they differ?
*Compare the illustrations in Cendrillon to photographs of the West Indies. Discuss how Pinkney’s illustrations capture the “feel” of the beautiful islands of this region of the world.
*Compare Cendrillon with other Cinderella versions and variants. Allow students to write their own reviews of Cinderella stories to present to the class. Then compile the reviews to create a class book.
San Souci, Robert D. 1998. CENDRILLON: A CARIBBEAN CINDERELLA. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689848889
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Cendrillon has a godmother who loves her very much and wants us to know the real story. "You may think you know this story I am going to tell you, but you have not heard it for true." When Cendrillon’s haughty step-mother Madame Prosperine will not allow Cendrillon to attend the birthday ball for the handsome Paul Thibault, Cendrillon’s godmother, whom Cendrillon affectionately calls “Nannin’,” comes up with a plan to use her magic mahogany wand to help Cendrillion get to the party, where she meets the love of her life. Her beloved Nannin’ watches on, delightedly eating chocolate sherbet.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story is told in lively language that includes French Creole vocabulary sprinkled throughout. (A glossary and pronunciation guide is provided at the end for the reader’s benefit). The style is humerous and full of imagery; for example, “the girl’s big foot, with toes like sausages . . .” provides a laughable look at the step-sister Vitaline’s attempt to get her foot into the delicate pink slipper. A slight twist in this variant of the Cinderella story is when Cendrillon has the opportunity to allow Nannin’ to use her magic that same day Vitaline claims to own the shoe. Nannin’ uses the wand to recreate the trappings of the night Cendrillon met Paul, but Cendrillon decides against meeting Paul under the spell, allowing the young man to meet her as she really is. The story is based on life on the island of Martinique, and the costumes and descriptors are based on West Indian culture.
Brian Pinkney’s illustrations using scratchboard, luma dyes, gouache, and oil paints are bold and vibrant. The brush strokes provide a sense of movement to each illustration. Particularly interesting is the fact that most of the two-page spreads include one larger illustration that covers both pages with another smaller painting included in the text box which is surrounded by a painted border. The beautiful green island of Mer des Antilles is lushly illustrated and Paul’s manor house sets the grand stage for a ball.
The illustrations by this Caldecott Honor Award winner and the text by the acclaimed author of over 50 children’s picture books is a treat to be shared by young and old alike who enjoy the Cinderella story.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Publisher’s Weekly: “The lyrical cadences of the text spattered with French and Creole words combine with the sensuous paintings to bring the tropics to life.”
* Starred Review in Booklist: “Particularly vibrant, both in its melodious language and its spirited art. . . A vital rendition of an old favorite."
* Starred Review in School Library Journal: “An outstanding Cinderella variant for any collection."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Use Macmillan’s Caribbean coloring books to allow children to create illustrations of their own which they can then use to author their own original stories.
*Read The Illustrated Anansi: Four Caribbean Folk Tales by Philip Sherlock and illustrated by Petrina Wright and compare the stories with Cendrillon. How are they alike? How do they differ?
*Compare the illustrations in Cendrillon to photographs of the West Indies. Discuss how Pinkney’s illustrations capture the “feel” of the beautiful islands of this region of the world.
*Compare Cendrillon with other Cinderella versions and variants. Allow students to write their own reviews of Cinderella stories to present to the class. Then compile the reviews to create a class book.
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