Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, a girl reduced to living amongst the cinders and ash, forced to become a servant in her father's home at the hands of her stepmother. Her stepmother and stepsisters being spiteful and mean-spirited take an instant disliking to her, but Cinderella remains kind-hearted and beautiful despite her rags and mistreatment. Then at the age of sixteen, after years of servitude, her fairy godmother appears one night to transform her into a princess and sends her off to the ball where she meets a handsome and charming prince. She and the prince fall in love and they all live happily ever after.

Cinderella's story is a classic for a reason; it is the ultimate rags to riches story combined with the ultimate romantic notion of love at first sight. Combining themes of persecution and triumph over adversity with the magic of wishes coming true and a happily ever after, this story is universal in its ability to demonstrate karma, forgiveness and finding true beauty within. This classic story has been retold, re-imagined and adapted so many times and in so many ways that it can sometimes be taken for granted, but everyone at sometime in their life should read or reread this classic fairytale. ( )

Evans' retelling of the classic Cinderella story leaves much to be desired due to its simplification, but what earns this book a high rating are the enchanting illustrations by Arthur Rackham. Thusfar, most of the books I own of his consist of stories illustrated in full line art (often with colour), but the simple stylings of his silouettes that complement the story of Cinderella are equally as wonderful. For simple black and white blocks, Rackham's deft and creative use of line imbues his characters with an unexpected vibrancy and personality. You can absolutely see the fun-loving attitudes of the courtiers hitching up their skirts to dance at the ball and the equally expressive disdain from Ella's stepmother and stepsisters - both feats which seem impossible when the faces of the characters are blacked out, but which Rackham seems to accomplish with ease. For all that this book seems like a simplistic representation of the story of Cinderella, Rackham's illustrations give it a sumptuous and unique feeling that I have yet to see paralleled by any contemporary illustrator. ( )

This story is retold by C.S.Evans. In this version of the story Cinderella has a mother in the beginning. Her father remarries and Cinderella ends up meeting her stepmother and her two stepsisters. This book is told in novel format and the illustrations are silhouettes in black and a little bot of color. ( )

nicely-told story. smart silhouette illustrations