“The Irish Cinderlad” By: shirley climo

“The Irish Cinderlad”

By Shirley Climo

Illustrated By: Loretta Krupinski

Harper Collins Publisher; China

Copy Right: 1996

(Traditional Literature)

            I have discovered through all of my reading that fairy tales and folktales almost always share some commonality with ones from other cultures.  This Irish tale had elements from several fairy tales we are familiar with her in the United States.  The story is of a boy with giant like feet who gains a horrible step mother and three step sisters when his mother dies.  He befriends a feared bull who provides for him and takes care of him.  With the death of the bull he journeys to a new place where he encounters a princess whom he rescues from a dragon.  His shoe is lost at the scene, but is used later to identify the man who has won the hand of the Princess.

            This is a good story for all ages.  There are many text to self moments to relate to throughout this book.  Mean family members, being brave and making friends are all examples.  The most obvious text to text connection is with the book Cinderella.  As for text to world, this book once again demonstrates the shared stories we tell our children around the world. We all try to send our children the same messages of triumph, love and friendship.