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What Is the Story of Cinderella? by Dana Meachen Rau

What Is the Story of Cinderella?

Dana Meachen Rau

Penguin Young Readers Group · Paperback · February 4, 2025

How did the story of Cinderella, her glass slipper, the pumpkin carriage, and a magical night at the ball with a prince come to be?

Myths & Folklorehistory
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Who it’s for
Trace Cinderella’s story across cultures, authors, films, and stage adaptations, from Rhodopis to modern actresses.
Themes
Cinderella story history, Cultural variations of fairy tales, Cinderella adaptations across media
Genres
Myths & Folklore

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About this book

How did the story of Cinderella, her glass slipper, the pumpkin carriage, and a magical night at the ball with a prince come to be? Find out in this dazzling book that explores the many different versions of Cinderella's story across different authors, movies, cultures, and more! Who HQ brings you the stories behind the most well-known characters of our time in the What Is the Story Of? series!

Continue reading

Did you know that the first version of Cinderella's story was written two thousand years ago in Greece? It was about a young woman named Rhodopis and her missing sandal. Since then, many versions of this fairy tale have been written featuring a poor girl whose kindness led to her dreams coming true. China, Italy, France, and Germany all have distinct versions of Cinderella's story that author Dana Rau explains within this exciting nonfiction book for fans of the beloved princess. Young readers will learn over a dozen different versions of Cinderella's story, including the most famous versions by Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Walt Disney, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Fans will also get to know the many different actresses who have brought Cinderella to life, including Brandy Norwood, Julie Andrews, Drew Barrymore, and Anne Hathaway.

Cinderella Across Versions

Trace Cinderella’s story across cultures, authors, films, and stage adaptations, from Rhodopis to modern actresses.

Come here for

  • Rhodopis’s ancient Greek sandal story
  • Cinderella versions from China, Italy, France, and Germany

Expect

  • Versions by Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Disney, and Rodgers and Hammerstein
  • Actresses who have played Cinderella, including Brandy Norwood and Julie Andrews

Where it sits

Myths & Folklore91%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Film & Movies
  • Myths & Folklore
  • Media Tie-Ins
Authors
Dana Meachen Rau
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
February 4, 2025
Format
Paperback
Theme
Cinderella story history · Cultural variations of fairy tales · Cinderella adaptations across media
Reading lane
Film & Movies