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Adelita : a Mexican Cinderella story
2004
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After the death of her mother and father, Adelita is badly mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters until she finds her own true love at a grand fiesta. - (Baker & Taylor)

Offers a twist to the classic Cinderella tale as Adelita has her wish granted for one evening and finally meets the man of her dreams, Javier, who soon falls in love with her and changes her life forever, enhanced with full-color illustrations and simple Spanish words introduced throughout. Reprint. - (Baker & Taylor)

Hace mucho tiempo—a long time ago—there lived a beautiful young woman named Adelita. So begins the age-old tale of a kindhearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity: a beautiful rebozo—shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. Tomie dePaola's exquisite paintings, filled with the folk art of Mexico, make this a Cinderella story like no other. Please note that the majority of this text is in English, with Spanish vocabulary throughout. - (Penguin Putnam)

Hace mucho tiempo—a long time ago—there lived a beautiful young woman named Adelita. So begins the age-old tale of a kindhearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity: a beautiful rebozo—shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. Tomie dePaola's exquisite paintings, filled with the folk art of Mexico, make this a Cinderella story like no other. - (Random House, Inc.)

Author Biography

Tomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1934, to a family of Irish and Italian background. His determination to create books for children led to a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California. His particular way with color, line, detail, and design have earned him many of the most prestigious awards in his field, among them a Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the Smithsonian Medal, the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his "singular attainment in children's literature," the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for his "continued distinguished contribution," and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion. He was also the 1990 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration, and received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for lifetime contribution to children's literature in 2011.
DePaola has published almost 200 children's books in 15 different countries over the past 30 years. Among his most well-known titles are the Strega Nona series, 26 Fairmount Avenue, and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.
DePaola lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn. - (Penguin Putnam)

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Booklist Reviews

PreS.-Gr. 2. The Cinderella story gets a new setting in this original fairy tale. DePaola uses all the familiar elements but removes much of the magic, giving this version a realistic patina that in no way diminishes listening enjoyment. Children will recognize Adelita's story: her father's remarriage and death; the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters; the longing to go to a ball, and her disappearance from the party. But here, her fairy godmother is a loyal family retainer; the "prince" is a childhood friend; and Adelita is recognized through her own efforts, not with a glass slipper. It's a bit disconcerting that the story's characters seem to know of the Cinderella story (Adelita' stepmother mocks the glass slipper), and the insertion of Spanish phrases into the text immediately followed by the English translation is clunky at times. But the text also has a fresh flair that is matched by the bright, airy artwork, in which shades of peach, teal, and lemon predominate. Mexican tiles frame the action and provide impressive borders for the lovely Adelita. Pair with Domitila (2000) by Jewell Reinhart Coburn, another Cinderella from the Mexican tradition. A glossary of phrases with pronunciations is a boon for tellers. ((Reviewed August 2002)) Copyright 2002 Booklist Reviews

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