(Book Cover: Lowell, Susan. 2000. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Photo Source: Harper Collins Publishers official website. http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060274467/Cindy_Ellen/index.aspx, accesssed September 14, 2008.)
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lowell, Susan. Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella. Ill. Jane Manning. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. ISBN 0-439-27006-5
2. PLOT SUMMARY: Cindy Ellen, a cowgirl if ever there was one, finds herself living with a new stepmother and three mean stepsisters somewhere “west of the Mississippi”. They treat her horribly. She is feeling as “down and dirty as a flop-eared hound dog” when her fairy godmother arrives to save the day. With the help of her fairy godmother’s unique spell casting, Cindy Ellen changes her appearance and goes off to meet a handsome, rich cowboy. At midnight, the spell rubs off and Cindy Ellen runs away. These events happen on two occasions. On the second evening, Cindy Ellen drops her diamond spur when she is racing away. The cowboy finds it and goes all over the territory looking for the woman whose cowboy boot fits the spur. He ultimately finds Cindy Ellen and with a quick “Whingo! Whango! Ka-zing!” the fairy godmother changes Cindy Ellen into a beautiful girl again and the couple rides off, “just hitched!” into the sunset.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Cindy Ellen is a fractured fairy tale derived from the more traditional, well-known Cinderella fairy tale. The characters in Cindy Ellen are the traditional Cinderella characters, father, daughter, stepmother, stepsisters, godmother and the handsome, wealthy prince. The characters in Cindy Ellen have taken on a western style which is evidenced throughout by the illustrations as well as the colorful and stereotypical language used by the author. The setting of Cindy Ellen is the Wild West, which is evident by the title of the book as well as the illustrations and wording used. The theme of Cindy Ellen, as with all Cinderella stories, is that it pays to be a nice girl. The mean people of the world don’t win the most coveted prizes.
Susan Lowell has masterfully altered, parodied and perhaps, in some locales, modernized the characters, setting and language of the traditional tale of Cinderella. Cindy Ellen is a modern day, freckle face girl who is not afraid to show some “gumption”. The godmother, too, has got some sass about her. She has the best lines in the book. When the godmother works her magic to send Cindy Ellen off to the rodeo she says: “hit the trail, honey! Remember, there ain’t no horse that can’t be rode and there ain’t no man that can’t be throwed!” When Cindy Ellen asks the godmother if she can help Cindy Ellen go to the rodeo, the godmother answers “maybe sí, maybe no”. This language, while showing the sassy nature of the godmother, also gives reference to the setting of the story being somewhere near the U.S.-Mexico border. Ms. Lowell uses stereotypical western language throughout the book with words like “orneriest”, “wrangled and roped”, “gumption” and “stove-up”. She also fills the book with stereotypical western culture such as rodeos, Stetson hats, big belt buckles and trick roping. While most in the United States would see these stereotypes as outlandish references to days gone by, there are areas in Texas and the southwestern United States where these stereotypes are not so farfetched.
Jane Manning brings all of these words and western stereotypes onto the pages in her colorful watercolor illustrations. The terra cotta landscapes with saguaro cactus and rock canyon walls create a setting for the book in the southwestern part of the United States. The illustrations pop out from this background thanks to the colors used for the clothing and the bright eyes and faces of the people. One wonderful aspect of the illustrations in Cindy Ellen is the inclusions of the small animals that watch the story unfold. These creatures are very expressive, showing fear of the stepmother, curiosity at the magic of the godmother, wonder at the transformation of Cindy Ellen into a beautiful cowgirl and happiness when Cindy Ellen and the cowboy ride off into the sunset.
Magic is a motif that runs throughout Cindy Ellen. It is cleverly expressed in the illustration with the indication of sparkles and swirls of light. It is also expressed in the typesetting of the book when the magic words of the godmother are printed in capital letters and turned at angles of an estimated 30 degrees. You can see the magic words on the page without ever having to read a word on the page.
A page about western lore is included at the back of the book. This page is a wonderful addition to the book and could be used by teachers for further teaching of western culture. Overall, I believe that Susan Lowell’s writing style and the beautiful artwork of Jane Manning make Cindy Ellen a book that should last through the ages.
4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 45, no. 6, (June 2000): 134: “The text is lengthy for a picture book, but is told in language as lively, colorful, and detailed as the watercolor illustrations, and is a delight to read aloud.” (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, (June 19, 2000): “Lowell's savory slang adds punch to this tale, which stresses the fairy godmother's message that ‘magic is plumb worthless without gumption’.” (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
KIRKUS REVIEWS, (May 1, 2000): “From the author of The Bootmaker and the Elves (1997), another ripsnortin' Western take on a traditional fairy tale”. (Source: Book Index with Reviews database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
• 4TH grade students in Texas must learn about Texas history. Cowboys, their clothing, their language and rodeos are all part of Texas history. Ideas for use with 4th graders include:
O Spelling and vocabulary unit using the western language in the book
O Research on the western lore that is described at the end of the book
O Art projects using watercolors
O Teach the traditional dance of square dancing
O Make a classroom alphabet/dictionary type book using the words of the book. For example, for “g”, children could use the word gumption and be required to define the word and use it in a completely new sentence. They could then decorate the page. Pages could either be displayed or put together for a class book.
• For grades 4-8, this book could be read as an introduction to readers theatre. Then, students could then read, learn and perform The Really, Really, Really True Story of Cinderella from Anthony D. Fredericks’ Frantic Frogs and Other Frankly Fractured Folktales for Readers Theatre. (Fredericks 1993, 69)
Other related books:
There are many other related books, however, one of my favorite is Cinderhazel: The cinderella of Halloween by Deborah N. Lattimore. (Lattimore 2002)
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