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Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story
Author
Illustrator
Tomie dePaola
Publication Date
August 20, 2004
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction / 2nd − 3rd
Language
Spanish
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Description
Hace mucho tiempo--a long time ago--there lived a beautiful young woman named Adelita.
So begins the age-old tale of a kindhearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity: a beautiful rebozo--shawl.
With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. Tomie dePaola's exquisite paintings, filled with the folk art of Mexico, make this a Cinderella story like no other.
Publication date
August 20, 2004
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781417735105
Lexile Measure
660
Guided Reading Level
M
Publisher
Puffin Books
BISAC categories
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
Library of Congress categories
Mexico
Folklore
Fairy tales
Folklore
Fairy tales
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-In this folktale variant, lovely Adelita gains a family when her father remarries. Following the traditional story line, Dona Micaela and her daughters, Valentina and Dulce, are utterly impossible, but all is well as long as Adelita's father is alive. However, when he dies, she is relegated to helping in the kitchen. Eventually, Dona Micaela evicts old Esperanza, and her stepdaughter is left to do all the work. On the night of the fiesta at the Gordillos' hacienda, it is Esperanza who takes the fairy godmother role, sends Adelita to the party, and sees to it that young Javier is smitten. True to form, he locates the young woman when she flees, and they marry. The prose is straightforward and crisp, though the habit of including a Spanish phrase that is translated immediately afterward (e.g., "Soy yo-only me-" or "-mi peque-ita-my little one-") interrupts the narrative flow. However, this is a minor quibble given the beauty of dePaola's signature artwork. Making perfect use of clear, warm hues, the full-color acrylic illustrations are a feast for the eye. Depth and brilliance in composition combine with economy of line and form to create a true tour de force. Use this with either Robert D. San Souci's Little Gold Star (HarperCollins, 2000) or Joe Hayes's Little Gold Star/Estrellita de oro (Cinco Puntos, 2000) for different looks at "Cinderella" through Mexican eyes.-Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Publishers Weekly
There's no pumpkin coach or glass slipper in sight, but Cinderella fans will find much to like in dePaola's (26 Fairmount Avenue) original twist, infused with Mexican warmth and color. Following her father's sudden death, Adelita is left to suffer the abuse of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. Adelita's kindly nanny/housekeeper takes on the role of fairy godmother, making certain that the girl has something to wear to the party thrown by a local wealthy family to honor their (eligible bachelor) son, Javier. Adelita makes an unforgettable impression at the gala, draped in a dramatic red shawl that was her mother's; Adelita uses it to signal to Javier when he comes looking for her the next day. DePaola tweaks just enough details to make his version fresh; his liberal use of Spanish phrases (translated within the text) and cultural details enlighten as they enliven. He humorously winks at readers, too, by having his characters refer to the classic story ("All Doña Micaela and her two daughters could talk about was `the mysterious Cenicienta' [Cinderella] who had appeared and then disappeared from the fiesta, just like the fairy tale"). His vibrant acrylics incorporate folk art motifs as well as rustic domestic items. The jazzy design features mosaic-like tile backgrounds of varying shades that frame smaller panels and portraits throughout. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 2002 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1934 to a family of Irish and Italian background. By the time he could hold a pencil, he knew what his life's work would be. His determination to create books for children led to a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California.
It drove him through the years of teaching, designing greeting cards and stage sets, and painting church murals until 1965, when he illustrated his first children's book, Sound, by Lisa Miller for Coward-McCann. Eventually, freed of other obligations, he plunged full time into both writing and illustrating children's books.
He names Fra Angelico and Giotto, Georges Rouault, and Ben Shahn as major influences on his work, but he soon found his own unique style. His particular way with color, line, detail, and design have earned him many of the most prestigious awards in his field, among them a Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the Smithsonian Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his "singular attainment in children's literature," the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for his "continued distinguished contribution," and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion. He was also the 1990 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration.
Tomie dePaola has published almost 200 children's books in fifteen different countries. He remains one of the most popular creators of books for children, receiving more than 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn.
- He has been published for over 30 years.
- Over 5 million copies of his books have sold worldwide.
- His books have been published in over 15 different countries.
- He receives nearly 100,000 fan letters each year.
Tomie dePaola has received virtually every significant recognition forhis books in the children's book world, including:
- Caldecott Honor Award from American Library Association
- Newbery Honor Award from American Library Association
- Smithson Medal from Smithsonian Institution
- USA nominee in illustration for Hans Christian Andersen Medal
- Regina Medal from Catholic Library Association
copyright (c) 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.
Multicultural Review
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2003 - 2003
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
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2002 - 2002
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