Elly and the Smelly Sneaker: A Riches to Rags Story

Gorin (Bertie Wings It!) inverts the Cinderella story as she introduces redheaded Ella, who’s endlessly pampered by her stepfamily and scheduled from dawn to dusk with activities like “advanced tea stirring” and “posture practice.” Ella just wants to play baseball, and she gets the chance when her gruff fairy godfather, Lefty Lou, shows up and transforms her gown and glass slippers into a dusty baseball uniform and smelly sneakers. “Just what I always wanted!” gushes Elly. “Ah, fuggedaboutit!” replies Lou. Vamos (Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery) works in a loosely drafted, Disney-lite style, focusing more on characters than backgrounds, which are mostly sparse, aside from an opening scene showcasing Ella’s lush home and a later spread highlighting her success at the ball(game). Playing the role of Prince Charming is one of Ella’s new teammates, a brown-skinned boy named Vince. He’s not looking for love, though—just a great co-captain. It’s a fairly by-the-numbers update, but readers who prefer grand slams to gowns should be tickled. Ages 3–up. [em]Illustrator’s agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.) [/em]