Cindy Ellen

Bibliography

Lowell, Susan. 2000. CINDY ELEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA. Ill. By Jane Manning. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060274476

Plot Summary

CINDY ELLEN is a retelling of a traditional Cinderella fairy tale. In this version, a sweet cowgirl from a ranch in Mississippi is picked on by her stepmother, "the orneriest women who was meaner than a rattlesnake" and her two stepsisters that were just like her. Because Cindy was such a good cowgirl and made her stepsisters look bad, her stepmother made her do all of the work around the ranch.

"Then one day the biggest cattle king for miles around invited all his neighbors to a two-day celebration." When the two stepsisters are invited to the celebration that includes a rodeo and square dance, Cindy soon finds out that she is not welcomed. But as soon as the two stepsisters are off to the Western fandango, BING...BANG Cindy Ellen’s fairy godmother appears "with a golden pistol still smoking in her hand." First she tells Cindy that she needs some gumption and then magically changes her rags into "the finest riding clothes west of the East."

Cindy soon arrives at the rodeo on her silver horse. After winning the rodeo and dancing with Joe Prince, Cindy runs off as the clock strikes twelve leaving a diamond spur behind in the dust. Joe Prince was so lovelorn that he searched all through the territory and "vowed to marry the horsewoman whose boot fitted the little diamond spur." After trying it on many boots, Joe Prince fits Cindy Ellen with the diamond spur and WHINGO...WHANGO...KA-ZING, Cindy Ellen's fairy godmother appears. She turns Cindy's clothes from cotton to satin and soon they get hitched and live happily ever after.

Critical Analysis

This hilarious western version of Cinderella gives the reader a sense of what life is like for a young cowgirl. Lowell's use of western dilact like "pretty is as pretty does", "Let 'er rip", "Yee haw", and "do -si-do" can only be read with a southern drawl, and the use of spurs, boots, and belt buckles gives this story western flare. Lowell also gives this version a bit of a twist when the fairy godmother tells Cindy Ellen that she needs some gumption. With this new added confidence, Cindy goes out and shows her stuff at the rodeo giving "Joe Prince a big daredevil grin” and even beats him in the horse race. For an added bonus, Lowell adds a piece at the end of the book that explains what the word rodeo means and how cowgirls became part of the rodeo scene.

Manning does a wonderful job capturing the feelings of each of the characters through her illustrations. It is exciting to see Cindy Ellen change from a timid girl to a girl with gumption. From the first page to the last, Manning uses bright colors to give visual appeal to the story. Desert life is uniquely displayed with cactus, jack rabbits, and horned toads. The colorful pictures help move the story along, while the glittery dust from the fairy godmother seems magical.

Review Excerpts

Kirkus review: "Bright, stylish.... Manning tricks out her characters in dazzling modern cowboy dress."

Connections

This story could be used along with many other Cinderella versions as a part of a fairy tale unit. The teacher could begin by reading the original Cinderella along with making a list of what they know about the story. Read several different versions from around the world to compare. The class can keep a list of similarities and differences between the versions.

Ketteman, Helen. BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE. ISBN 0590255061
De Paola, Tomie. ADELITA: A MEXICAN CINDERELLA STORY ISBN 0399238662
De La Paz, Myrna J. ABADEHA: THE PHILIPPINE CINDERELLA ISBN 1885008171
San Souci, Robert D. CENDRILLON: A CARIBBEAN CINDERELLA ISBN 0689848889
Minters, Frances. CINDER-ELLY ISBN 0140561269