Cinderella Liberator (Fairy Tale Revolution #1)

In this progressive retelling, Solnit carefully excises nearly every aspect of the "Cinderella" tale that readers might find objectionable. No one falls in love, the prince wishes he was a farmer, and the stepsisters eventually apologize to Cinderella, who herself says, "It was very interesting to see all the fancy clothes... but even more interesting to see lizards become footwomen." Every possible moral lesson is explicitly spelled out--"everyone can be a fairy godmother if they help someone who needs help, and anyone can be a wicked stepmother"--and the low-key action, which resolves in everyone finding the work that suits them, supports the idea that "there is no happily ever after, only... tomorrow... and the day after that." Illustrations based on Rackham's masterful, timeless silhouettes offer a counterpoint to a text that is very much of the moment. Ages 7-10. (May)

Though she still has plenty of dirty chores to do, Cinderella is not confined to household drudgery in this feminist reworking of the old tale. She's a good cook and bakes ginger cookies, and she's out and about visiting farms and the marketplace, becoming friends with all the workers there. On the day of the Prince's ball she's a skillful hairdresser for Pearlita and Paloma, those obnoxious stepsisters. And she's the most talented dancer when she herself arrives at the ball. Solnit tells the story in five numbered segments. She mostly follows the general scheme of Perrault, but this is not the romantic story of falling in love that he was telling. The fairy godmother, a little blue woman, shows up when Cinderella wishes that someone might help her. The familiar magic happens. Cinderella and Prince Nevermind (we don't know how or why the character names were devised) will become friends as both are liberated from their confining lives. In the lengthy closing section they are too young to marry but she owns a very successful bake shop, and he becomes a farm worker. Solnit explains how Ella (no more cinders) is a liberator—"someone who helps others figure out how to be free." Selected silhouettes from Rackham's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty work pretty well with the long narrative with its generous phrasing of conversations, descriptions, explanation of personality traits, and several philosophical lessons along the way. In a long afterword, the author discusses choices she made in selecting this story, reworking it, and choosing the Rackham illustrations. The liberator theme may be murky for many children. The feminization of some characters—the coachwoman, the footwomen, Cinderella's real mother the sea captain—will strike some readers as rather forced. Nonetheless, this is a version of the oft-told tale that will surely find a place among the copious retellings. VERDICT Give this variant to older fairy-tale fans. It could certainly be a fun discussion choice.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

"[Solnit] recast[s] this familiar story into a tale that is fundamentally about freedom. The decision to use Arthur Rackham's original cut-paper silhouette illustrations was a brilliant choice. This is, hands down, a wonderful book — one that even the jaded reader will clasp upon completion with a contented sigh." —New York Times

Solnit retells the classic story in a way that liberates each character from the constrictions imposed upon him or her by someone else's story and confers upon each the dignity of a complete human being with agency and autonomous dreams. Emerging from these simply worded, profound, richly rewarding pages is Solnit the literary artist, Solnit the revolutionary, Solnit the enchanter, Solnit the subtle and endlessly delightful satirist, Solnit the sage." —Brainpickings

This is a reminder of hope and possibility, of kindness and compassion, and—perhaps most salient—imagination and liberty. Through the imaginations of our childhoods, can we find our true selves liberated in adulthood?" —Chelsea Handler