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CINDERELLA AND THE FURRY SLIPPERS

Name: CINDERELLA AND THE FURRY SLIPPERS
Author: Davide Calì
ISBN: 978-1-101-91898-2

by Davide Calì ; illustrated by Raphaëlle Barbanègre ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2017

Cinderella joins Elizabeth in advocating for girl power.

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A feminist version of “Cinderella” to suit fans of Robert Munsch’s The Paper-Bag Princess (1980).

This tale begins like the traditional one, with Cinderella slaving away for her stepmother and two stepsisters. But when the day of the prince’s annual ball arrives, she takes matters into her own hands and phones a fairy-godmother service she sees advertised. (Indeed, all of Cinderella’s expectations and dreams are based on ads and magazine articles, a subtle message that most readers will probably miss.) But the fairy godmother who arrives with her animal helpers isn’t anything like what was pictured in the ad. And the dress and slippers and turnip coach the fairy godmother conjures aren’t standard either. Dashed expectations don’t end there, however, as Cinderella discovers when she wins the dance contest (despite a severe wardrobe malfunction) and a solo dance with the prince, who is definitely better in glossy pages than in person. Cinderella’s flight is in earnest, but it quickly becomes a flight to something rather than away: the Girls Only Job Fair gives Cinderella a new lease on life. Barbanègre’s digital illustrations feature bright pastels and a sort of Addams Family sensibility. While the scene inside the job fair features diverse women of all shapes, sizes, and colors, the rest of the book is largely white save for two brown-skinned dance contestants (and the green-skinned fairy godmother!).

Cinderella joins Elizabeth in advocating for girl power. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-101-91898-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tundra Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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A FUNNY THING HAPPENED AFTER SCHOOL...
by Davide Calì ; illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

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TOO MANY RABBITS
by Davide Calì ; illustrated by Emanuele Benetti ; translated by Angus Yuen-Killick

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ISLAND OF SHADOWS
by Davide Calì ; illustrated by Claudia Palmarucci

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HELLO THERE, SUNSHINE

by Tabitha Brown ; illustrated by Olivia Duchess ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025

Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.

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Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.

Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.

Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 9780063342262

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)