True to the original's ugly sisters, all this trio of bullies ever do is live the high life, whilst poor Prince Cinders cleans and scrubs and tidies up after them. The next page intoduces his three big hairy brothers, who are “always teasing him about his looks”, and the accompanying illustration is of their three fatuous, self-satisfied, grinning faces in close-up.

Here he is on the first page, looking rather self-conscious and embarrassed. He was small, spotty, scruffy and skinny.”Īnd indeed he is. “Prince Cinders was not much of a prince. The book is hilarious, very silly, and takes only a few minutes to read. Prince Cinders is our hero, and in the scene shown he is not losing his glass slipper, but his trousers. The cover alone gives you a big clue as to its feel. Based on Charles Perrault's 'Little Glass Slipper', it twists the story, providing the reader with a revision which qualifies as a fractured tale, rather than a parody. The picture book of Prince Cinders is different again. 'Cinderella' is one of the worlds best known fairy tales, with its origins lost in antiquity, although the modern version as we broadly know it was first transcribed by Charles Perrault in 1697.

Recommended for children aged three and up.How do you feel about the story of 'Cinderella'? Do you fall into a dream-like swoon? Or do you conversely feel a great yawn coming on at the prospect? Some of them also feature nudity, which there is none of in this book. Many of Babette Cole's books have the same refreshing take on traditional gender roles.

This book could be used to start a discussion with your child about masculinity, beginning with simple things like whether you need to be big and hairy to be a man and whether doing housework makes you any less of one. My daughter liked the simple story and I love the illustrations of the awkward, skinny prince and his hairy brothers. Prince Cinders proves his identity and marries the princess and the fairy gives the three big hairy brothers their comeuppance. The shy prince runs off, leaving his trousers behind, so the princess calls for all the princes in the land to come and try them on. Fortunately, when he changes back the beautiful Princess Lovelypenny thinks he has chased off the monkey and saved her from it. It doesn't go entirely to plan, and Prince Cinders finds himself transformed into a huge monkey, who is unable to attend the disco because he can't get through the door. One evening a fairy appears to the young prince and tries to magically make his dreams come true.

Prince Cinders by Babette Cole