The eighteenth book to be awarded the Caldecott Medal was Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper translated from Charles Perrault's French version and illustrated by Marcia Brown, published in 1954 by Scribner, now a part of Simon and Schuster.
We're all familiar with the story of Cinderella, the young woman left to the whims of her mean stepmother and heartless stepsisters after her father passes away. This version is a little different from Walt Disney's movie, Cinderella
, and much lighter and more kid-friendly than the story found in Grimm's Fairy Tales
.
Who is Marcia Brown?
Marcia Brown was born in Rochester, New York on July 13, 1918, one of three daughters of Reverend Clarence and Adelaide Brown. The family moved throughout upstate and northern New York as her father accepted new ministries. While living in Cooperstown, New York, Marcia discovered the artwork in the books at her local library and it was then that she decided to become an artist.
After toying with the idea of becoming a doctor, Brown decided to teach instead and in 1935 she enrolled at New York State College for Teachers. While in college, she continued to grow as an artist and contribute to the college's literary and humor magazines. Brown served on the art staff of the school's magazines State Lion and State College Echo as well as co-editor-in-chief of The Statesman. She graduated in 1940 with majors in English and Drama.
After graduating, Brown taught high school in Cornwall, New York before taking on a job in the New York Public Library's Central Children's Room in 1943. While there, she was exposed to a huge selection of books and gained storytelling experience.
The Little Carousel, Brown's first book, which she both wrote and illustrated, was published in 1946. The following year, Stone Soup (Aladdin Picture Books)
was published and went on to become a 1948 Caldecott Honor Book,
was published and went on to become a 1948 Caldecott Honor Book,
Brown would have five more books named Caldecott Honor books: 1949's Henry, fisherman;: A story of the Virgin Islands
, 1950's Dick Whittington and His Cat
, 1951's Skipper John's Cook
, 1952's Puss in Boots
, and 1953's Steadfast Tin Soldier
.
, 1950's Dick Whittington and His Cat, 1951's Skipper John's Cook, 1952's Puss in Boots, and 1953's Steadfast Tin Soldier.
Cinderella was Brown's first Caldecott Medal winning book, but she would go on to win two more (more on those books in later blog posts).
Marcia Brown is currently living in California.
The Illustrations
This version of Cinderella was originally written by Charles Perrault (1628-1703), a French author who specialized in fairy tales based on pre-existing folk tales. His best known works include Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Puss In Boots, The Sleeping Beauty, and Blackbeard. Many of his stories were rewritten by the Brothers Grimm.
The illustrations in this book definitely have an old French feel to them.
 |
| Looking at the prince, my first thought was "Oh, he's a fancy boy, isn't he?" |
The colors are muted and have a lot of gold, blue and shades of red.
While each version - Perrault, Grimm, and Disney - all differ a bit, they contain a lot of the same elements. Including the stepsisters who made Cinderella wait on them and dress them for the party she wasn't allowed to attend.
Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, who was her godmother who just happened to be a fairy, appeared after her stepmother and stepsisters left for the ball. She turned Cinderella's rags into a gown, a pumpkin into a coach, mice into horses, and a rat into a coachman.
The rules were the same, she had to be home before midnight or her gown would turn into rags and her coach back into a pumpkin.
In this version, I did like that at the ball, Cinderella went out of her way to be kind to her stepsisters, talking to them and offering them lemons and oranges. Of course, they didn't recognize her, but they remembered the beautiful woman who was so kind to them.
The prince searched high and low for the woman who would fit the glass slipper. Yes, the stepsisters tried, but it didn't fit. No one cut off their toes or their heels (seriously, Brothers Grimm?)
Cinderella watched her stepsisters try it on before asking if she could try. Her stepsisters and stepmother laughed, but the men who brought the slipper had been instructed to have every woman in the kingdom to try it on.
Of course, the slipper fit. And then Cinderella reached into her pocket and pulled out the matching slipper. At that moment, her fairy godmother appeared, waved her wand, and turned Cinderella's rags into a gown. Her stepsisters recognized her as the woman at the ball and fell to their knees, begging her forgiveness. Cinderella asked the to stand and told them she forgave them and all she asked in return is that they love her.
Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after. She even opened the castle to give her stepsisters a home and she found them lords of the court to marry.
I don't know. Maybe I'm cynical. Maybe I'm Cinderella'd out. But this book didn't do much for me. I appreciate Marcia Brown's talent, she really is a wonderful illustrator and author, as evidenced by her 6 Caldecott Honor books and 3 Caldecott Medal winning books, and my love of Stone Soup is well known, but I'm not quite sure what it was about this book that set it so high above all the other books that came out in 1954.
This is definitely a much more kid friendly version of Cinderella than the Brothers Grimm and it is a beautiful alternative to the Disney version. I really love how Cinderella treats her stepsisters. What causes this story to stand above the other versions is Cinderella's generosity to the women who had been so cruel to her. It is a wonderful lesson in forgiveness and kindness.
illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli
illustrated by Tibor Gregely, written by Margaret Wise Brown
illustrated by Helen Sewell, written by Alice Dalgliesh
