Title: The Irish Cinderlad
Author: Glimo, Shirley
Illustrator: Krupinski, Loretta
Publisher and Date: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996
Genre: Picture Book, Multicultural
Age Range: 1st-3rd
Summary: In this exciting story of love, friendship, and adventure our traditional Cinderella gets a new twist. The Irish Cinderlad is an Irish folktale that has been passed down from generation to generation, and was finally recorded in print in the early 1800’s. In this version Becan, the hero of the story, is born into a loving rural family. His mother loves him very much and takes good care of him. His whole life is “few of worries” until his mother suddenly dies. Becan’s father then does the unthinkable; he brings home a new stepmother and three older stepsisters to be a part of their family. Becan and his new family members do not get along so well. Becan is a very unique young boy; his feet are the size of a giant’s! His stepmother claims his gigantic feet are getting in the way and sends him out to tend the sheep. In the field, Becan comes face to face with the dreaded bull. Luckily he befriends the magical bull. The bull provides him with friendship, food, and a magic tail. Becan goes on many adventures; he defeats a giant who won’t share and a dragon who is about to devour the princess. After defeating the dragon, all Becan leaves behind is a huge boot which the princess uses to scour the land in search of her rescuer and future groom. After a year of searching the men bring the boot to Becan’s house and he and Princess Finola are wed.
Response: This is such a great story! I am such a big fairly tale fanatic that I am surprised that I had not ever heard of any Cinderlad stories before now. I think it is so neat that in this version the main character is a boy. I’m sure the boys in the class will love this, because then they can see that fairy tales are not all “girly” stories. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Becan befriends the bull. He explains to the bull that they are not all that different from each other; he says “We could be cousins, you and I, because we are patched together from the same odds and ends.” (The bull and Becan both have big “feet” and the bull’s face is covered in red freckles just like Becan’s nose is.)
This book teaches a very important lesson to young kids who are just starting to mature and grow. It shows children that it is ok to be different. In the story, Becan’s feet were very big; his sisters teased him and called him mean names like “Little Bigfoot.” In the end however, Becan’s unique foot size is what led the princess to him. We should celebrate our differences and the things that make us unique, because you never know when they might come in handy!
This book is jammed packed with heavy doses of adventure and friendship, and sprinkled with love. The pictures are detailed filled paintings that cover every page. Children of all ages are sure to enjoy this read!
Teaching Ideas: This would be a great book to read to younger children just for fun! For older children a fun activity would be to compare Grimm’s traditional Cinderella tale to The Irish Cinderlad. Students could make a chart to compare and contrast the characters, plots, setting, and ending. They could also write a journal entry about which version they liked better and why? Another fun idea would be to divide the class in half and have one half put on a skit featuring Cinderella and the other half performs a skit featuring Cinderlad. Or they could simply watch the Disney classic and one of my favorite movies, Cinderella, for a fun break one day. This could also be a fun way to study about Ireland itself. There are so many activities that you can do with this story! Just have fun with it and be creative!
Ps. Don’t forget to read the author’s note in the back of The Irish Cinderlad! It gives a lot of background information for the story!
Author: Glimo, Shirley
Illustrator: Krupinski, Loretta
Publisher and Date: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996
Genre: Picture Book, Multicultural
Age Range: 1st-3rd
Summary: In this exciting story of love, friendship, and adventure our traditional Cinderella gets a new twist. The Irish Cinderlad is an Irish folktale that has been passed down from generation to generation, and was finally recorded in print in the early 1800’s. In this version Becan, the hero of the story, is born into a loving rural family. His mother loves him very much and takes good care of him. His whole life is “few of worries” until his mother suddenly dies. Becan’s father then does the unthinkable; he brings home a new stepmother and three older stepsisters to be a part of their family. Becan and his new family members do not get along so well. Becan is a very unique young boy; his feet are the size of a giant’s! His stepmother claims his gigantic feet are getting in the way and sends him out to tend the sheep. In the field, Becan comes face to face with the dreaded bull. Luckily he befriends the magical bull. The bull provides him with friendship, food, and a magic tail. Becan goes on many adventures; he defeats a giant who won’t share and a dragon who is about to devour the princess. After defeating the dragon, all Becan leaves behind is a huge boot which the princess uses to scour the land in search of her rescuer and future groom. After a year of searching the men bring the boot to Becan’s house and he and Princess Finola are wed.
Response: This is such a great story! I am such a big fairly tale fanatic that I am surprised that I had not ever heard of any Cinderlad stories before now. I think it is so neat that in this version the main character is a boy. I’m sure the boys in the class will love this, because then they can see that fairy tales are not all “girly” stories. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Becan befriends the bull. He explains to the bull that they are not all that different from each other; he says “We could be cousins, you and I, because we are patched together from the same odds and ends.” (The bull and Becan both have big “feet” and the bull’s face is covered in red freckles just like Becan’s nose is.)
This book teaches a very important lesson to young kids who are just starting to mature and grow. It shows children that it is ok to be different. In the story, Becan’s feet were very big; his sisters teased him and called him mean names like “Little Bigfoot.” In the end however, Becan’s unique foot size is what led the princess to him. We should celebrate our differences and the things that make us unique, because you never know when they might come in handy!
This book is jammed packed with heavy doses of adventure and friendship, and sprinkled with love. The pictures are detailed filled paintings that cover every page. Children of all ages are sure to enjoy this read!
Teaching Ideas: This would be a great book to read to younger children just for fun! For older children a fun activity would be to compare Grimm’s traditional Cinderella tale to The Irish Cinderlad. Students could make a chart to compare and contrast the characters, plots, setting, and ending. They could also write a journal entry about which version they liked better and why? Another fun idea would be to divide the class in half and have one half put on a skit featuring Cinderella and the other half performs a skit featuring Cinderlad. Or they could simply watch the Disney classic and one of my favorite movies, Cinderella, for a fun break one day. This could also be a fun way to study about Ireland itself. There are so many activities that you can do with this story! Just have fun with it and be creative!
Ps. Don’t forget to read the author’s note in the back of The Irish Cinderlad! It gives a lot of background information for the story!
1 comment:
Thanks for pointing out the Author's note! You have read several books that combat these traditional archetypes in folklore; thanks for sharing! You are ready for traditional literature I see! : )
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