School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Most readers are familiar with the classic Charles Perrault fairy tale about the poor mistreated girl who is visited by her fairy godmother, attends a ball wearing glass slippers, and marries the prince. This cheerful retelling is spun from the perspective of one of the mice who is turned into a horse to pull Cinderella's carriage. In this version, the fairy godmother is hilariously grouchy, Cinderella doesn't care for getting dressed up, Fred the mouse doesn't enjoy being a horse, and in a friendly LGBTQIA+ twist, the heroine chooses to marry a female farmer who shares her love of pumpkins instead of the prince who finds gardening distasteful. Both Cinderella's and Fred's roles in this story carry an affirming message about the power of being true to oneself, as they cast off their magical transformations and pursue comfort and happiness on their own terms. Large, colorful illustrations offer expressive characterization and delightful details to captivate readers. The prose is conversational and dialogue is amusingly peppered with contemporary turns of phrase, making for an appealing read-aloud experience. An author's note provides additional information about different varieties of pumpkins. VERDICT This inventive collaboration between a beloved author and a Caldecott Medal--winning illustrator rises above the sea of retellings with its empowering themes and positive LGBTQIA+ representation.--Allison Tran
Publisher's Weekly Review
Hopkinson (Only One) and Zelinsky (All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah) conjure up a "Cinderella" tale that's a fizzy blend of traditional storytelling and contemporary perspectives. Ella, as she's known, is no mild-mannered protagonist; shown with pale skin, she's an expert gardener aiming to win a blue ribbon for finest pumpkin. When a grumpy fairy godmother sticks her in a floofy dress and uncomfortable footwear, Ella's response is an exasperated "Seriously? Glass high heels?" Garden mouse Fred, meanwhile, undergoes an involuntary transformation into a coach horse who can't get a hoof anywhere near his chronically itchy ears. Emerging from the ball flushed with anger--a wonderfully cartooned scene--Ella hurls her remaining glass slipper against a lamp post. She has discovered that the prince not only doesn't share her interest in gardening, he abhors dirt. "I'll find my own destiny, thank you very much," she says, and goes on to grow that prize-winning pumpkin and win the heart of a farmer, portrayed with light brown skin, who loves Ella "just as she was. And Ella loved her right back." Why just fracture a fairy tale when one can infuse it with new possibilities for self-determination? A note about fairy tale pumpkins concludes. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)
Horn Book Review
A fairly standard retelling changes course quickly when Cinderella storms out of the ball ("What a disaster!") declaring that the prince is a snob and her feet are killing her ("Seriously? Glass high heels?"). As her horse turns back into a mouse and the pumpkin coach cracks open on the road, "Ella" blithely kneels on the ground, picks out the seeds, and pockets them. "I'll find my own destiny, thank you very much" -- and she does, with mouse pal Fred witness to it all. Zelinsky's humorous illustrations have fun with Cinderella's clown-like stepfamily and their ridiculous attempts to squeeze large feet into the tiny glass slipper. Ella, on the other hand, is depicted as a down-to-earth pumpkin farmer who soon finds true love with another like-minded farmer. The two women (yaaas!) marry and move to a small farm, where they grow spectacular pumpkins, in a truly satisfying fairy-tale ending. Hopkinson's enhanced retelling even adds a small pourquoi tale: "And that, dear readers, is the story of how fairytale pumpkins got their name." Sorry, Prince Charming -- this revisionist tale ends quite happily without you. Jennifer M. BrabanderSeptember/October 2023 p.56 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
What you didn't know about "Cinderella" could fill a book. Fred is a small, gray, itchy-eared mouse befriended and named by Cinderella, referred to here as Ella. One night, a crotchety fairy godmother transforms Fred into a horse, a pumpkin into a coach, and Ella into someone "fancy"--though she dislikes her glass heels. The fairy godmother issues her stroke-of-midnight warning, and the gang heads to the ball, which is a fail: Sore-footed Ella, having lost a slipper at the ball, leaves with the other one--which she smashes--and complains about the snooty prince. Just before midnight, she and her "horse" race home, and all revert to their former selves, including the coach, but Ella saves seeds from it. Next morning, the prince seeks the slipper's owner; when it doesn't fit Ella's stepsisters, he leaves. Life begins anew for Ella: She plants her seeds, wins first prize for the pumpkin that grows, and meets and falls in love with the female farmer who takes second prize. Readers will love this wonderfully written, comically snappy take on the beloved tale: Ella gets her happily-ever-after by marrying a woman and succeeding at farming. Zelinsky's witty, colorful, dynamic illustrations, rendered in ink and assembled digitally, are masterful and depict racially diverse background characters dressed in Renaissance-era garb. Cinderella, her wife, her stepfamily, and the royal family are pale-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Everything old is new again--and keeps getting better; a charming Ella for a new generation. (about fairy-tale pumpkins) (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
