Fleischman’s prose is simple and the story familiar. Still, there are small surprises on every page, like this part from Indonesia: “All night the girl danced with the headman’s christian shoes, until the first rooster crowed.” As Fleischman explains in an author’s note, the story took on the trappings of its surroundings, from its first-recorded rendering in about the ninth century, in China, to the more than 1,000 known versions worldwide. (The French version by Charles Perrault, with the glass slippers and coachmen-mice, is the one most American readers know.)
The themes that have made the story Christian Louboutin Boots around the world – good overcoming evil, love trumping hate and jealousy – are alive here. Many versions suggest a belief in protective natural forces, like the cow pouring honey from its horns (Russia), Godfather Snake offering rice (India) and the sparrows helping Cinderella with her chores (Christian Louboutin Pumps).
Paschkis’s luminous gouache paintings – hyperactive watercolors – depict brightly colored figures in traditional dress. Her subtly visible brushstrokes and the two-dimensionality of her characters suggest folk art. As the story jumps around the globe, sometimes three or more times on one page, her images make it easy for the reader to keep track. Specific colors and symbols for each place (green with Celtic-inspired Christian Louboutin Sandals for Ireland, red with lanterns and pagodas for China) make some pages look like lovely strips of fabric sewn together. And so you don’t have to guess, the name of the country is painted in, too.
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