Perrault, C. (1954). Cinderella or The little glass slipper. (M. Brown, Trans.). New York: Atheneum Books for Young People.

Cinderella, as translated by Marsha Brown, is the classic French Cinderella story. Cinderella is a young girl, and when her father gets remarried to a harsh stepmother with two cruel daughters, Cinderella has a positive attitude and helps her sisters prepare for the King’s Ball. When Cinderella wishes to attend the ball, her fairy godmother appears and magically transforms her into a beautiful princess. Cinderella is then able to go to the ball two nights in a row, where she accidentally looses her slipper as she runs away (due to loosing track of time). The prince finds her by having all of the ladies around to try on the lost slipper. In the end, Cinderella marries the prince, and graciously forgives her cruel stepfamily. This book was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1955. The illustrations are lacking in interest and dated. It is the simple classic story of Cinderella. Can be used to compare other Cinderella stories to, but this version is very dull

Not really recommended at all *

Selznick, B. (2008). The invention of hugo cabret. New York: Scholastic Press.

A young boy named Hugo, finds himself in the most dire situation: alone and left to care for a series of clocks in the city of Paris, France. He finds himself stealing food and gadgets for himself, as he attempts to fix a man made out gears in order to find a message from his deceased father. Through the use of vivid illustration and text, Selznick creates a fantastic adventure, as we follow Hugo’s encounters with a young girl, a man with one eye, and an old man. Readers will loose track of time as they loose themselves in this award-winning book.

Highly Recommended *****