I can’t say for sure, but the story of Cinderella was probably the first fairy tale I ever heard as a child. It’s the classic story of “boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love, and soon after get married”. It’s the story many little girls dream of. Yup. . . me, too. What can I say? Reading about a girl with too many chores who was able to exchange her worn out broom and chores for marriage to a gorgeous prince sounded pretty darned appealing. Flash forward. Many years later, I’m still pushing around a broom and hurling dirty clothes over the balcony railing to spare my aching back the heavy load down the stairs. And most mornings I have dishpan hands and a sore back from pulling up weeds, but. . . I did marry a gorgeous prince of a man. No complaints from this Cinderella.
And now it’s time to get to know an entirely new Cinderella. She’s not a girl who worries about getting cinders on her face or clothes. This Cinderella is a girl with dreams of becoming a rocket ship repair girl! Wait. Isn’t grease under the nails harder to clean out than a little soot?
Title – Interstellar Cinderella
Written by – Deborah Underwood
illustrated by – Meg Hunt
Published by – Chronicle Books – 2015
Suitable for ages – 4-8
Topics – fairy tales, outer space, female role model
Opening – Once upon a planetoid, amid her tools and sprockets, a girl named Cinderella dreamed of fixing fancy rockets.
Amazon Review – View it HERE. With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball. But when the prince’s ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.
Why do I like this book? The story of Cinderella has been around since 1697! Since then, many additions and revisions (such as a seed-free pumpkin coach) have been made to this classic fairy tale. This version, taking place in the outermost reaches of space, is as far out as possible. And Cinderella, though she’s a girl who benefitted from the magic of her fairy godrobot, is a girl who knows who she is, what she wants out of life, and isn’t about to let a prince, no matter how good looking, sway her into marriage plans. I call that a powerful, female role model girls can look up to.
Want to learn a little more about Deborah Underwood? Click HERE.
Want to learn a little more about Meg Hunt? Click HERE.
Projects
- Kids can make their own rocket ship using an empty paper towel or toilet paper roll, scraps of cardboard, paper, pipe cleaners, paint, and their amazing imaginations.
- Ask your child what planet they would want to visit if they had a rocket ship. Maybe they’d like to invent a new planet!
Is there life on that planet? What do the aliens look like? What grows there? What color is the soil, the flowers, the sky? Maybe the planet is known throughout the universe for its yummy desserts or great artists.
After your interstellar interview, see if you and your child can write a short story or poem about a rocket ship journey to this place.
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