Rehashing old stories is not a new phenomenon and the story of Cinderella and its variants are published yearly; a testament to it being a continued financial success. Below are some favourites from our collection in no particular order. Listed are only standalone English versions. Stories belonging to a compilation are omitted from this list. The quality of writing, artwork, design, and binding are taken into consideration.
Published by Chronicle Books in 2000, the text is adapted from The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book and Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book. Illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft using oil over watercolour. According to the artist, the illustrations depicted here are in an imaginary setting based around 17th and 18th century France. Magnificent ballgowns, a flying coach and ornate drop caps are some of the illustration highlights. The story is a little longer as Cinderella goes to the ball twice in this version. Some of the artwork here also appear on calendars and art books. This is a regular sized picture book but the paper is thin.
Published by Creative Editions in 1983 and 2000. Text by Charles Perrault with illustrations by Roberto Innocenti. It's London in the 1920's, Innocenti applies his signature off perspective views and cobblestone architectural backdrop to create a more realistic vision. Cinderella's godmother is an old lady and not a beautiful young magical being. She can even be seen making a draft of the pumpkin coach. This version is definitely less frilly than the previous books. There is little variation in Cinderella's two ballgowns and they are simple in design. More focus was spent on the background. This is a small book and the pictures are not as sharp as it could be but binding is good and paper stock is very good.
Published by Faber and Faber in 1972 with text by Charles Perrault and illustrations by Errol Le Cain. The art is beautifully stylized and decorative. If only they were all in colour. The facial expressions on the characters are theatrical and sometimes comical. With Le Cain's work, you either love it or hate it. The illustration where Cinderella transforms back into her rags is particularly effective. One could imagine a ballet with a set and costume design using these illustrations as reference. The text is shortened and easy to read. This book is somewhat of a rare find now, especially in hardback. It really ought to be republished and enlarged.
These four books are very different in style however, are equally attractive. With such a large variety to choose from, it was a tough list to narrow down. There are two honourable mentions, both written by Robert D. San Souci: Cinderella Skeleton illustrated by David Catrow and Little Gold Star illustrated by Sergio Martinez.
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