The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo

Summary

The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo is a story of a Greek girl who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in Egypt. Her name is Rhodopis. She did chores just like all of the other household servant girls but she was treated poorly because she didn't look Egyptian. She had green eyes and blond hair. Her master was old and slept often while they worked, so he never heard the other girls mistreat Rhodopis.  She made friends with the animals and she would dance when them when her chores were done. One day her master saw her dancing, he had never seen something so beautiful. He decided to buy something special for her, so he bought her a pair slippers that were gilded with rose-red gold. The other girls were jealous of Rhodopis because all they had on their feet were sandals made of papyrus. 

One day Rhodopis overheard the other girls talking about how they were going to sail for Memphis to see the Pharaoh because he was holding court for his subjects. Rhodopis wanted to go but she had chores to do. She had gotten her new shoes dirty and took them off to clean them when a falcon circled the sky above her. She said hello to him because falcons are the symbol of the god Horus. The falcon swooped down and stole one of Rhodopis' slippers. The falcon flew all the way to Memphis and waited until Amasis, the Pharaoh was starting to get bored and he dropped the slipper into his lap. Amasis had never seen such a beautiful slipper and he vowed to marry the woman this shoe belonged to. He traveled all over Egypt looking for the owner to the slipper he found. When he approached the other servant girls they knew immediately who it belonged to. They wanted to try it on anyway but their feet were too big. Amasis saw Rhodopis hiding in the reeds near the river and he called her forward. He had her try on the slipper and it fit her perfectly. He said there was none so fit to be a queen. The other girls were mad because she wasn't even Egyptian but the Pharaoh said "She is most Egyptian of all. For her eyes are as green as the Nile, her hair as feathery as papyrus, and her skin the pink of a lotus flower". And so, Amasis married Rhodopis and she became his queen.

Evaluation

The story of Rhodopis is one of the oldest Cinderella stories ever recorded. It was recorded by the Roman historian Strabo in the first century B.C. There was actually a Rhodopis who was born in Greece and kidnapped by pirates and made to be a slave in Egypt. She actually married the Pharaoh Amasis, but if there really was a golden slipper no one really knows. I enjoyed this story, it was so different from any other Cinderella I've read. The Pharaoh didn't even need to see Rhodopis to know he was going to marry her. This is such a different twist from most fairy tales. I think its great to teach children not to treat people badly and that it is possible to overcome adversity.  

Cendrillon by Robert D. San Souci

Summary

Cendrillon is a Caribbean cinderella story. It unique in that it is told from the Godmother's point of view. It starts off as the Godmother tells a little background information of how her mother had left her a wand that could turn something into anything by tapping it three times. It could only be used on those you loved and the effects were only temporary. The Godmother then starts telling the story of the birth of her Goddaughter Cendrillon. Cendrillon's mother died when she was just a baby. Her father remarried and they had another daughter together named Vitaline. As Vitaline got older, she and her mother treated Cendrillon poorly. She was stuck doing all of the cleaning and all of the laundry. One day Cendrillon tells her Godmother that she is upset because there is a ball that evening and she can't go because of all the work she has to do at home. The Godmother tells her that there's nothing to worry about, she will go to the ball that night. After Cendrillon's family leaves for the ball, the Godmother takes out her wand and she taps three times on Cendrillon and makes her a beautiful dress with beautiful slippers. She also makes her a coach to ride in, with horses and a coachman. Just like in Cinderella, Cendrillon goes to the ball, dances with Paul, Monsieur Thiboult's son and when the clock strikes midnight she dashes away leaving only a shoe. Paul searches all over for the owner to the show and when he finds Cendrillon the get married and live happily ever after.

Evaluation

I thought that there was not enough difference between Cendrillon and Cinderella. I have read other Cinderella stories and they all differ slightly in the story, but this one was pretty much the same with the names of the characters change. I still enjoyed reading this story. My favorite thing about this story is that it is told from the Godmother's perspective which gives the story a whole new feeling.