Korean Cinderella

‘Climo and Heller conflate several Korean variants of Cinderella to offer up the story of Pear Blossom, a lovely girl who is sorely mistreated by her nasty stepmother and stepsister.… At once comfortingly familiar and intriguingly exotic, the text is especially noteworthy for its instructive but unobtrusive incorporation of Korean words.’—Publishers Weekly. ‘Heller’s paintings are exotically lush and colorful as well as engaging.… An agreeable retelling of the Cinderella story.’ —BL.

Notable 1994 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

Children's Literature

Pear Blossom, a lovely Korean girl, is treated like a slave by her jealous stepmother and stepsister and forced to perform impossible tasks. With the help of magical creatures, tokgabis, Pear Blossom finishes all of her tasks just in time to see the prince in a procession. He sees the beautiful young lady lose her sandal and vows to marry the girl who wears the matching shoe. This masterfully retold version of Cinderella presents real Korean customs and includes dramatic, brightly colored illustrations.

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.