THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA

by Shirley--Adapt. Climo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1989

According to an author's note, this story is ""both fact and fable"": there was a Greek slave girl, Rhodopis, who married a pharaoh in the sixth century B.C.; this story about her was recorded 500 years later by a Roman historian. Rhodopis is scorned by her master's Egyptian servants, who resent her different coloring and keep her busy with menial work. But she is a favorite of the master, who gives her a special pair of gilded slippers. When the servants go to see Pharaoh, Rhodopis is left behind. A falcon (symbol of the god Horus) flies off with one of the slippers and drops it in Pharaoh's lap; entranced, Pharaoh seeks the owner and makes her his queen, declaring that ""her eyes are as green as the Nile, her hair as feathery as papyrus, and her skin the pink of the lotus flower."" Climo's retelling of this interesting story is straightforward and reads well. Hailer uses bold, lush colors in attractive double spreads on which the text is superimposed, conveying the story's drama and including engaging details--especially a recurring monkey and hippo. A nice addition to folklore collections.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1989

Categories: CHILDREN'S