Oh my gosh, I love this! I’ve been reading lots of children’s Cinderella books, and some of them tend to be a little too similar to each other, but not this! No, this retelling was unique and it was so refreshing to read it. The illustrations were beautiful, the characters were lovely and the story was very enjoyable. Such a cute story. ( )

King Lear Cinderella Appalachia= Moss Gown.
Whimsical illustrations and desperately in need of a Pixar adaptation. ( )

As noted on the dust-jacket blurb, elements of King Lear and Cinderella meet in this Southern folktale, which was told to William H. Hooks as a child in North Carolina. When Candace's elderly and infirm father asks each of his daughters to describe how she loves him, her answer - that she loves him "as meat loves salt" - displeases him, and he disinherits her. Forced to leave her home, Candace is aided by a green-eyed, black gris-gris woman (a witch), who gives her a moss gown that appears to be ragged and torn, during the day, and enchantingly beautiful at night. Taking work in the kitchen of a nearby plantation, Candace eventually uses the gown to attend a three-day ball, where she wins the heart of the Young Master. Moss Gown finds love, but will Candace ever find rapprochement with her father...?

The author's note at the rear mentions the Appalachian variant of this story (Rush Cape), and discusses its English origin. The tale Cap O'Rushes - an example of tale type 510B in the Aarne-Thompson folklore classfication system, the "Unnatural Love" type - can be found in Joseph Jacobs' English Fairy Tales, and is clearly the forerunner of this American version. It's interesting to see how the story has been adapted for a southern American setting: the heroine's gown is made of Spanish Moss, there is a gris-gris woman, and so on. The story itself is engrossing - highly entertaining, with a very satisfactory ending - and the illustrations are lovely. Beautiful, but with a "mossy" feeling to them (perhaps because of the muted color scheme?). Highly recommended to all readers who enjoy beautifully illustrated fairy-tales! ( )

When Candice's father decides to split his lands among his daughters, he puts them to the test by asking each how much she loves him. Candice's sisters flatter her father with fancy words but no sincere affection. Candice answers that she loves her father like "meat loves salt." Candice's father doesn't understand the simple elegance of Candice's answer, and he gives all his land to the two older sisters, who banish her. While running through the forest, she meets a witch who gives her a magical gown made of moss. She finds a job in the kitchen of a rich man's house, and attends his balls dressed in her gown of moss (which becomes a beautiful dress at night). They fall into insta-love, and the young master yearns to meet the young lady again. Candice learns that the young master is able to lover her despite her tattered clothing. They get married, and the father (now blind and abandoned on the streets by his older daughters) shows in the area - begging for food. Candice throws a feast cooked entirely without salt, and this is when her father discovers how much meat loves salt.

This children's picture book has elements of Cinderella, Donkeyskin, and King Lear. A cute story, especially for little girls. ( )

This fairy tale version of Cinderella was done wonderfully. I thought the way in which Hooks changed the plot into a southern folktale was quite interesting, especially living in the south. This version will have a much different effect on readers that the typical version of the fairly tale. I feel that it pulls at different emotions than the classic Disney version. I was sad when the father did not like his youngest daughter's response, and chose his older daughters, who clearly were lying and sucking up to him. However, when the father realizes his mistake at the end, she forgives him. I feel children will want to read this chapter book, and they will enjoy doing so. It brings the story of Cinderella closer to home. ( )