cover image Dear Cinderella

Dear Cinderella

Marian Moore and Mary Jane Kensington, illus. by Julie Olson. Scholastic/Orchard, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-545-34220-9

Spirits run high in this saccharine tale by first-time collaborators Moore and Kensington, who distill the stories of Cinderella and Snow White in letters the two write to each other. Glossing over the unpleasantness in their respective lives, the missives—along with Olson’s (Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica) equally chipper illustrations—keep the correspondents in nearly constant motion. “Singing and dancing when you are scrubbing, washing, and cleaning make the chores seem like fun,” burbles Cinderella, to which Snow responds, “I have been singing and dancing ever since I read your letter.” Cinderella then spins “around and around in excitement” at the prospect of going to the ball and, once there, “twirled and spun around all night” with the “dreamy” prince. Pinks and purples dominate the palette of Olson’s pictures, rendered in watercolor, ink, and digital media, which portray the heroines as bubbly, doll-like figures. While would-be princesses likely won’t mind all the gushing, the clever conceit is let down by its adherence to the most clichéd and patronizing ideas of what being a princess entails. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)