#572 of 1001 · February 23, 2022

At the middle of my second Cinderella Theme Week, I’m turning my sights in a different direction. Thus far, I’ve focused on the best-known Western iterations of the tale (by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm) and presented interpretations by numerous artists. For the remainder of the week, however, I’m going to branch out and explore books based on variants of the story from other cultures around the world. Today I have Jude Daly’s adaptation of Fair, Brown & Trembling, an Irish Cinderella. Three sisters of wealth and status in the kingdom of Erin (Ireland) wish to go to church. Fair and Brown, the elder two, put on their finest dresses every week and set off—but, envying the beauty of their younger sister Trembling, they force her to stay home and cook for them. One day the local henwife takes pity on the girl. She throws on her cloak of darkness and uses her mystical powers to procure wonderful garments for Trembling: first a white dress, the next week a black gown, and the week after that a red skirt with a white bodice, green cloak, white cap, and blue slippers. Each week Trembling rushes away the moment the Mass is over, so no one can discover her identity. On the third week, the Prince of Emania attempts to hinder her, but only succeeds in retrieving her blue slipper. There follows the plot of the search for the slipper’s owner, the happy union of Trembling and the Prince, and the just punishment of Fair and Brown. Daly’s illustrations employ a jewel-toned color palette and enchantingly elongated character design. A note for folklore enthusiasts: this story comes from Jeremiah Curtin’s Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland. Daly’s pragmatic adaptation omits a final episode in which Fair and Brown return to take revenge on their sister but are thwarted one last time. #cinderella #hen #wife #church #slippers #prince #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks