But will the prince find Cinderella after her ball gown turns back into rags? This classic tale is retold by Ruth Sanderson with the very youngest of readers in mind.

    So begins the age-old tale of a kind-hearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity?a beautiful rebozo? shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. Tomie dePaola?s exquisite paintings, filled with the folk art of Mexico, make this a Cinderella story like no other.

    In thirty-three poems it brings to life not only the voices of well-loved characters, but also voices of characters not usually heard from -- including the glass slipper, without which the story would not have a happy ending. On the stage set by the story we hear each player tell the tale from their point of view, answering the questions that swirl around Cinderella: Is the ghost of Cinderella's father at peace in the afterlife? What has made Cinderella's stepmother so cruel? Can a rat be as happy as a human? How do the prince's mother and father feel about Cinderella for their son? Does the Magic One's Magic last forever? Do the glass slippers realize how important a role they play in the life of one girl? Is there a quiet someone, with a gentle purr, who is a secret accomplice? And, finally, what does Cinderella herself have to say to us about her own story? Through the rhythms of Laura Whipple's poetry and the sweeping colors of Laura Beingessner's artwork, Cinderella's story is spun anew for audiences of all ages to celebrate.

    McGraw-Hill Reader