Looking for Cinderella

In her U.S. debut, Dutch illustrator Dematons tickles her readers' imaginations by plunking a modern girl into a fairy tale world. Hilda looks out of her bedroom window to see signs of life at the deserted old windmill outside of town. When she goes there to investigate, she steps into a world where she is repeatedly mistaken for Cinderella. Characters from various stories mingle: the seven dwarfs help reroof the gingerbread house of the witch in Hansel and Gretel, for example. Finally Hilda finds the real Cinderella, hands her the glass slipper she has been mistakenly given, and Cinderella's coach takes her home. In some ways, the juxtaposition of modern/old, real/make-believe just doesn't seem to be mined thoroughly enough. Yet Dematon's ingenuous, old-new illustration style hits the mark, and her premise could easily spark some flights of fancy in would-be Cinderellas. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)