Alan Schroeder's Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella is a rural take on the old tale. Brad Sneed who illustrates the book depits the characters with elongated bodies reminiscent of the tall tale of Paul Bunyan. The step mother and sisters are show with long, sharp features that are a physical manifestation of their internal malevolence. Using a perspective that elongates the figures already covering the length of a page, we view the story from standpoints near Rose, whether from her place scrubbing the floor to stare up at her arguing stepsisters or from the ground to pay homage to her sparkling glass slippers.
This Smoky Mountain version of Cinderella uses dialect that we would expect with the inhabitants of the mountains and familiar aspects of the story are changed to reflect the culture. Instead of being a merchant or businessman, her father is a trapper. Rose takes care of the animals of the house, roaming around with a straw hat and torn overalls to complete her chores. After her father dies, the family receives an invitation to a "fancy" party from a man whose rich from sowbellies and grits. Other exchanges that contribute to the feeling of being the Smoky Mountains include the log cabin Rose and her family live in, the wagon the use to get around, and instead of a fairy godmother, Rose has a magical hog that looks out for her.
When Rose enters the barn, all eyes turn her way and we view this moment from the back of the room seeing the crowd turn to stare at her. One difference in this Appalachian version is that the prince or rich man, Seb, is doubtful of the sisters claim to the shoe. He recognizes the girl he spent the night dancing with doing chores in the distance and encourages her to try the slipper.
This is a fun tale that gives us a unique perspective on the Cinderella tale. We get a insight into Appalachian culture through the text and illustrations combined.
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