Maybe I should begin this review by saying that my grand daughter, Stephanie, is a strange child. While I love her with all my heart, I must admit she is not your normal 4-year old. I’ll explain. Stephanie is an actress. Not on TV or the movies, but in her own home. She’ll sing, dance and entertain you to your hearts delight – 24 hours a day / 7 days a week (well, she does sleep). While she’s awake, never once is their quiet in my son’s house. Stephanie’s little chatter keeps going much longer after the “Eveready bunny” dies! She’’s often seen viewing her own image in the sliding glass doors in their den - in order to get ’’’’just the right facial expression!’’’’ Yes, Stephanie is our own little actress!
Although her favorite character to mimic is “Dorothy” from The Wizard of Oz, her favorite bedtime story happens to be Cinderella! Why the difference choice? Only Stephanie knows. But it’s true. Ask her what story she’d like to hear as she places her beautiful head of black curls on her Barbie pillowcase, she’ll enthusiastically say, “Cinderella!” (When she was much younger, she used to say, “Re - ra”) As you plod through the forest with Dorothy and re-live with her all the excitement she encounters, there’s just something more pleasing about Cinderella as a bedtime story. With Cinderella, as young as Stephanie is, she sees the difference between the world of the unfortunate girl who is always bullied by a mean step-mother and her own. When I’m visiting my son and his family, as I read Cinderella to Stephanie (for the umpteenth time), she is always quick to comment, “My mommy isn’t like that. My mommy is fun. I don’t like Cinderella’s mommy. She’s mean!” As you read about Cinderella’s daily chores (making beds or washing floors), Stephanie will always add in her own comments, “I help mommy do that!” or (clearing off the dinner table or putting the clean laundry away)“Mommy lets me do that!” and more often, (cooking or washing dishes)“Mommy says I can do that when I’m bigger.” When you recite the excitement and happiness of Cinderella’s dancing with her handsome Prince, Stephanie jumps right in with, “I can make my Barbie dolls dance like that!” As Stephanie’’s imagine begins to work, you can’’t help but get caught up in Cinderella’’s delight with her. While on a normal basis, Cinderella would be a short story to read (only about 20 pages in her little book), Stephanie does make it longer (lol) but certainly more enjoyable and by the time we’ve reached the last page where Cinderella rides in bliss with her husband-Prince, Stephanie smiles her beautiful 4-year old smile and says, “Gramma, someday, I’m gonna marry a prince, just like Cinderella did.” Then with a smile on her pretty lips, she drifts off to her own private dream world, where I’m sure she’s dancing with her own Prince Charming. I admit that I don’t think this particular story would work for boys, Cinderella certainly works for Stephanie and I’m sure hundreds of other little all over the world who dream that someday, their princes will come, too and offer them a world where they will live happily after ever.
CINDERELLA Left motherless at a very early age, Ella’’s father decides to marry in order to provide his beautiful young daughter with a family while he’’s away on business. Unfortunately, not long after his marriage, he also dies, leaving his lovely, gentle daughter at the mercy of her ruthless step-mother and two step-sisters. The wicked step-mother so enjoys the life of luxury, that once made a widow, in order to maintain her matriarch position, she makes Ella the household maid. Her step-sisters never resist the temptation to show off their new-found superiority in front of Ella. Because of Ella’’s new status in the family, they begin to call her ’’’’CinderElla’’’’. Ella, being a kind and gentle person, performs her chores without question and without complaint. However, she does have her dreams. While Ella is growing into a mature and beautiful young woman, the Prince is growing into a mature handsome young man whom the King fears will never marry as he’’s shown little interest in settling down. The King decides to host a ball inviting all the young, single women - hoping his son will find the woman of his dreams. The invitation are delivered by horsemen throughout the countryside. As Cinderella’’s step-mother opens the invitation, the young girls thoughts drift back to her dreams........ ’’’’Someday my prince will come......’’’’ The evil sisters are aghast thinking that this ’’’’mere child’’’’ covered in soot from the fireplace might attend the King’’s fancy ball. They openly protest, to which their mother says that according to the invitation, ’’’’every’’’’ young single woman is invited, but is quick to remind Cinderella that she must finish her chores first. Taking their mother’’s unspoken suggestion, they give more work to Cinderella than she ever hope to finish. Yet, she does just that! She finishes her chores in time to quickly sew some odd pieces of cloth together to make a gown for the ball. Now outraged, the sisters look helplessly at their mother who is quick to note that certain pieces of cloth came from old discarded dresses of her own daughters. To Cinderella’’s horror, they begin ripping her delicately sewn gown in order to retrieve the ’’’’rags’’’’ they threw out. Left in a ragged gown, Cinderella, runs to the garden and cries in despair.
As Cinderella feels she’’s reached the end of her world and the shattering of her dreams, something magical is taking place. Her Fairy Godmother appears! In minutes, Cinderella’’s rags are transformed into a one-of-a-kind, magnificent gown. Using items and animals from the garden, her Fairy Godmother creates a coach and driver along with horses and a footman. Cinderella is ready to begin living her dream. But wait -- one final touch! She needs something special on her feet. Glass slippers! Cinderella is awed by what happened and as her mind is swiftly taking her to what might be, her Fairy Godmother warns her that this spell can only last until the stroke of midnight. Once the final stroke echoes it’’s sound, the spell will be broken and ’’’’everything will be as it was.’’’’ Once at the ball, the Prince falls immediately in love with Cinderella and spends all his time with her. However, the clock is ticking away and as Cinderella hears the tower bell begin to ring in the midnight hour, she races to leave the castle.
As the Prince chases after her, the gown begins to disappear and the coach returns to nothing more than a pumpkin. At home, Cinderella begins her chores once again, but at least she lived her dream, if only for one night. What she is about to realize is that during her escape from the loving arms of her handsome Prince, she lost one of her slippers. Finding this, the Prince knows that once he finds the owner, he will find his happiness.
This tale of fantasy, magic and innocent love has captured the heart of every young girl for many, many years. It is truly the tale of which dreams are made. We’’ve all waited for our own Prince Charmings and I’’m sure that any girl who hears this story for the first time, will begin to dream of her own glass slipper ending.