Traditional Literature Review: Cinderella: A Fashionable Tale by Steven Guarnaccia

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Cinderella: A fashionable tale
1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY
Guarnaccia, Steven.  2013. CINDERELLA: A FASHIONABLE TALE. New York:  Abrams Books. ISBN 9781419709869
2.  PLOT SUMMARY
When Cinderella is invited to a dance, she is mocked by her stepsisters for having nothing to wear. With the help of her fairy Godfather, she is able to look beautiful and impress the guests at the ball, especially the prince. When the clock strikes midnight Cinderella must hurry home before her extravagant clothing turns back into rags. Hurrying down the stairs, she leaves a glass slipper behind. The prince uses this glass slipper to find Cinderella. They get married and live happily ever after.
3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS
CINDERELLA: A FASHIONABLE TALE is a retelling of the classic fairytale, Cinderella. While this is a faithful retelling of the story we all know and love, Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations bring a fresh new twist. This blonde, short haired, bold lashed Cinderella channels famous 60’s fashion model, Twiggy. The 1920’s art deco style illustrations fill the pages with bold lines, colors, and interesting shapes.The illustrations are rich with references to modern fashion culture. All the outfits provided to Cinderella by her fashionable fairy Godfather are depictions of actual pieces by high fashion designers. After trying on dresses that were designed by Kansai Yamamoto, Yves Saint Laurent, and Varvara Stepanova, Cinderella settles on the iconic “Statue of Liberty” dress designed by Vivienne Westwood. In true modern fashionista style, Cinderella dones a pair of Prada glass slippers.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIDSREADS.COM: “Young readers will delight in the bright and beautiful illustrations, and fashion enthusiasts will enjoy the references to well-known haute couture designs”
KIRKUS REVIEW: “A crisp, modern take on the oft-told tale: deliciously subversive and visually captivating.”
5. CONNECTIONS
-Children will delight in designing their own outfits for Cinderella to wear. Whether original design or high fashion inspired, creating paper doll clothes for Cinderella to try on will inspire children to think outside the box.

-The story would come to life when performed in Reader’s Theater. Children can create their own fashionable costumes or wear design outfits with clothes and accessories they already have.

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