Traditional Literature # 5

Author: Charles Perrault (Translated by John Bierhorst)
Title: The Glass Slipper
Publisher: Four Winds Press Date: 1981

Age level: Primary (K-2) Elementary (3-4)

Summary:
This is a collection of French Fairy Tales that have been told throughout the ages. It includes such classics as “Cinderella”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, and “The Sleeping Beauty”.

Strengths:
The stories in this book are wonderfully imaginative and excellently described. The details in these fairy tales really make the stories. They are simply entertaining and can catch any child’s interest. Some are familiar, while some are not so familiar, which is a great way to intertwine them and get children to read. The language is simple and easy to understand.

Concerns:
Some of the stories have slightly different endings than what children hear now, or see in the movies, so they may be confused. Some even have more disturbing endings. For instance, at the end of Little Red Ridinghood, Red is eaten by the wolf! There is nothing too graphic about it, but it may upset some children. The other concern I have with this book are the illustrations. They do not do the stories any justice and are very plain compared to the elegance of the stories.

Classroom use/Other comments:
These are excellent fairy tales to share with the class whenever there is free time. They are also good stories to have the children write alternate endings to. Perhaps another use could be comparing and contrasting some of these stories to the movies they have seen of them.