Egyptian Cinderella

Notable 1989 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

Author Biography: Shirley Climo is well-known for her thoroughly researched retellings of the Cinderella tale in the best-selling The Korean Cinderella and The Egyptian Cinderella, both illustrated by Ruth Heller. Ms. Climo lives in Los Altos, CA.

In this version of Cinderella set in Egypt in the sixth century B.C., Rhodopes, a slave girl, eventually comes to be chosen by the Pharaoh to be his queen.

Publishers Weekly

The setting may be exotic and the glass slippers may have been replaced by leather ones with toes of rose-red gold, but this is a story no child could fail to recognize. Climo's intriguing variation on the Cinderella tale is based on a combination of fact (there was indeed a Greek slave girl named Rhodopis who married the Pharaoh Amasis), and fable--in this case, Egyptian. A trio of uppity servant girls assume the roles of the wicked stepsisters, a kindly master serves as the fairy godmother (to provide the slippers) and a handsome pharoah steps in as Prince Charming. The foreign locale comes complete with lotus flowers, a hippo, a great falcon (symbol of the Egyptian sky god Horus) and, of course, the River Nile. Climo hits just the right note in her imaginative retelling of the fairy tale. The text is incorporated in the design of Heller's stylized illustrations with their appropriately lush colors. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Shirley Climo's love of folklore began in her childhood and has provided the background for many of her children's books, such as The Korean Cinderella, Magic & Mischief: Tales from Cornwall, A Treasury of Princesses: Princess Tales from Around the World, A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World, and Someone Saw a Spider: Spider Facts and Folktales, an NCTE Teacher's Choice and Library of Congress Best Children's Book that was originally inspired by her research for Cobweb Christmas. Mrs. Climo and her husband live in Los Altos, California.