The Egyptian Cinderella. Climo, Shirley (author). Heller, Ruth (illustrator). (1989). New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books. 32 pages. ISBN: 0-690-04824-6.
Fiction: Folktale: Ages 4 to 8
Setting:
Ancient Egypt. The story is both fact and fable. It is not known if the slippers really existed, although it is possible. It is recorded that Greek slave girl named Rhodopis married the Pharaoh Amasis and became his queen.
Ancient Egypt. The story is both fact and fable. It is not known if the slippers really existed, although it is possible. It is recorded that Greek slave girl named Rhodopis married the Pharaoh Amasis and became his queen.
Plot:
A young girl, Rhodopis, is kidnapped from her family in Greece and sold into servitude in Egypt. Her master is a kind man, but she is constantly bullied by the other servants. She is different than them and has blonde hair, and slightly sunburned skin. She is kind to animals and they are her only companions. One day as she is singing and dancing, her master notices what a great dancer she is and he gives her a pair of beautiful shoes. When everyone is invited to meet the pharaoh for a feast, Rhodopis is forced to stay behind and do chores. A falcon swoops down and steals one of her shoes. She is heart broken, but the falcon delivers it to the pharaoh. The pharaoh sees it as a sign and searches the land to find the woman the shoe belongs to. At last he sees Rhodopis and she fits the shoe and pulls the other one out from her robe. The Pharaoh makes her his queen. Although some of the elements in the story are familiar, the "mellifluous prose and majestic illustrations...present an inventive twist on the classic tale" (Publisher's Weekly).
A young girl, Rhodopis, is kidnapped from her family in Greece and sold into servitude in Egypt. Her master is a kind man, but she is constantly bullied by the other servants. She is different than them and has blonde hair, and slightly sunburned skin. She is kind to animals and they are her only companions. One day as she is singing and dancing, her master notices what a great dancer she is and he gives her a pair of beautiful shoes. When everyone is invited to meet the pharaoh for a feast, Rhodopis is forced to stay behind and do chores. A falcon swoops down and steals one of her shoes. She is heart broken, but the falcon delivers it to the pharaoh. The pharaoh sees it as a sign and searches the land to find the woman the shoe belongs to. At last he sees Rhodopis and she fits the shoe and pulls the other one out from her robe. The Pharaoh makes her his queen. Although some of the elements in the story are familiar, the "mellifluous prose and majestic illustrations...present an inventive twist on the classic tale" (Publisher's Weekly).
Author/Illustrator:
The author brings the story to life by including details and background common in ancient Egyptian life. She has also written the 'cinderella' stories from other cultures such as Persia and Korea. She received some negative feedback from readers in their reviews of the book. Some of them were disappointed that the protagonist in the story is a fair haired, light skinned woman. Seeing that the book is based on a true story, it doesn't seem the author could have changed that and stayed historically accurate. The illustrations, by Ruth Heller, are vivid and engaging. The backgrounds and animals are very detail oriented so children will enjoy looking at the pictures as the text is being read aloud to them.
The author brings the story to life by including details and background common in ancient Egyptian life. She has also written the 'cinderella' stories from other cultures such as Persia and Korea. She received some negative feedback from readers in their reviews of the book. Some of them were disappointed that the protagonist in the story is a fair haired, light skinned woman. Seeing that the book is based on a true story, it doesn't seem the author could have changed that and stayed historically accurate. The illustrations, by Ruth Heller, are vivid and engaging. The backgrounds and animals are very detail oriented so children will enjoy looking at the pictures as the text is being read aloud to them.
Classroom Tie-ins:
Of course bullying is a hot topic in schools and across the country right now. This book could be used to start a dialogue among students. It can also be used to study other cultures, to compare those stories with the ones we are more familiar with. A compare and contrast unit could be done. Venn Diagram's come to mind. The pages are text heavy, so this might be a better read aloud for younger students. The PBS Childhood Development Tracker states that first graders like to listen to long stories, and retain more from listening than from reading on their own. Their "knowledge of the world, ability to follow complex plots, and natural enthusiasm for stories make longer books ideal for this age and stage."
Of course bullying is a hot topic in schools and across the country right now. This book could be used to start a dialogue among students. It can also be used to study other cultures, to compare those stories with the ones we are more familiar with. A compare and contrast unit could be done. Venn Diagram's come to mind. The pages are text heavy, so this might be a better read aloud for younger students. The PBS Childhood Development Tracker states that first graders like to listen to long stories, and retain more from listening than from reading on their own. Their "knowledge of the world, ability to follow complex plots, and natural enthusiasm for stories make longer books ideal for this age and stage."
Personal Response:
I enjoyed the story and the illustrations. I had no idea that there were other versions of Cinderella. In the notes at the back of the book, it is noted that this is one of the oldest recorded Cinderella stories, leading me to believe there are more. It would be interesting to compare them and find the common themes, and explore the differences. Although children will struggle with some of the unfamiliar words in this story, such as the characters names, and words to describe Egyptian culture, I think there is enough in the story that student's will find familiar and interesting.
I enjoyed the story and the illustrations. I had no idea that there were other versions of Cinderella. In the notes at the back of the book, it is noted that this is one of the oldest recorded Cinderella stories, leading me to believe there are more. It would be interesting to compare them and find the common themes, and explore the differences. Although children will struggle with some of the unfamiliar words in this story, such as the characters names, and words to describe Egyptian culture, I think there is enough in the story that student's will find familiar and interesting.
Resources:
Amazon (2013, February 10). [Review of the book The Egyptian Cinderella by SHirley Climo]. Retrieved from:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Egyptian-Cinderella-Shirley-Climo/product-reviews/0064432793/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_2?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0
Public Broadcasting Service [PBS]. (2013). Child development tracker. Retrieved from:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/reading-language/reading-milestones/first-grader-language-development-milestones/first-grader-listening/
Publishers Weekly. (1991, February). [Review of the book The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo]. Retrieved from:
http://www.clcd.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~L7dnma:11
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