Today I thought I would share a recent discovery although it's not a new book. This is one of my challenges, knowing no matter how hard I work, SurLaLune can never be a fully comprehensive resource. It's impossible to keep up with it all, or even discover it all, although many of you are kind enough to share your discoveries and own creations, too.
Anyway, I'm sharing this picture book because it was named the No. 1 Valentine's Day Pick by BookSense in 2006. (Once again, old news for a few of us, especially now that BookSense is IndieBound.)
The book is The Prince's Diary by Renee Ting and illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba. Essentially, it is a picture book telling the Cinderella story through the prince's point of view. 
Product Description from the publisher:
Young Prince Stephen has a problem: how to find the girl he calls Cinderella. He has seen her from afar, but figuring out how to meet her proves difficult. In this charming version of the Cinderella story, take a peek at the Prince’s personal diary as he tells the well-known story from his point of view.
In his diary, find out what the Prince was feeling when he first met Cinderella, and what he really thinks about her stepsisters! All your burning questions will be answered: Did Cinderella have a fairy godmother? Did the Prince really try a glass slipper on every girl in the kingdom? And most important, what really happened at the ball? In this twist on the familiar tale, the Prince tells it like it is, and you’ll be amazed by the real story.
Follow along with the Prince as he searches for his Cinderella, and discover a whole new way of looking at this classic fairy tale.
I also saved this entry for Friday because Dulemba has a wonderful page devoted to the book on her website including coloring sheets and activities for kids. Visit it here: The Prince's Diary Activity Page. Nice resource for the extended holiday weekend, snow or no snow.
Dulemba also illustrated Paco and the Giant Chile Plant, a Jack and the Beanstalk retelling by Keith Polette.
This looks very intriguing! The typical versions make Cinderella's prince seem pretty impulsive (falling for a complete stranger on just a few dances together), stupid (figuring that only one woman's foot would fit in the remaining shoe), and bull-headed (trying every woman in the kingdom). It would be interesting to read a story in which he is a clever planner.
ReplyDelete