Cinderella: A Fashionable Tale

Gr 1–4—The Three Little Pigs (2010) was a vehicle for Guarnaccia to explore architectural styles; in Goldilocks and the Three Bears (2010, both Abrams), he decorated a split-level with famous pieces of modern furniture. Here, the subject is haute couture. A Twiggylike heroine is attended by a miniature fairy godfather-Karl Lagerfeld's doppelgänger. The drama reaches its zenith when Cinderella tries on different options for the ball. She chooses a Vivienne Westwood: the "Statue of Liberty Dress" (England, 1988). Part of the fun is looking at the labeled designs on the endpapers and matching them to their appearance within the story (or on the pages of Guarnaccia's other titles). A large, vertical trim size and white backgrounds throughout allow the fashions to pop. Visual humor, found in the appearance of the three stepsisters, especially a spread featuring one enormous foot, lightens the mood. The text is bare bones; it concludes with the brief mention of Cinderella's marriage. The author chooses not to depict a designer wedding dress, much less decide on the fate of Cinderella's horrible family. Thus, other renditions of the story would be more satisfying for connecting to archetypal characters and a more fully realized romance. This title will be appreciated by children and adults who are captivated by the world of fashion and who will find inspiration for creating their own designs.—Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library