Adelita

Bibliography: DePaola, T. (2002). Adelita: a Mexican Cinderella story. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Annotation: This story is the Mexican Cinderella story. It begins with Francisco losing his wife in childbirth of their daughter Adelita. Her father remarried a woman and gained two step daughters as well. While sharing her father was difficult she still had some special times with him. Once her father and dad her step mother Dona Micaela moved her room and gave her dirty old clothes from her daughters. Dona Micaela kicked out Adelita’s family friend Esperanza, and made Adelita work hard around the house and in the kitchen. The family had received a letter for party at a ranch for a boy named Javier. Adelita was forced to stay home from the fiesta. Esperanza came to the door that night and gave her, her mother’s white dress and braided her hair for the fiesta. She told everyone to call her Cinderella. Javier was delighted with her and professed his love, however Adelita became scared and rang away; on her way out she dropped her glass slipper. Javier went all over town having girls try on the slipper. Once Javier was there Adelita walked down the stairs in her mother’s dress and slipper. They lived happily ever after

Genre: Fiction/ Cultural fairy tale

Grade: K-3

Readers: Readers that enjoy various fairy tales will enjoy this story. Readers that are learning Spanish will also enjoy this book because parts are written in Spanish and English.

Rate/Response: 10 I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to see that Adelita used the name Cinderella for herself and had a true godmother. It was also nice to see Spanish in the book as well.

Question: Do you think there is a Mexican version of Cinderella? How would Spanish culture depict Cinderella?