Cenrdillon- Multicultural and International Literature

CendrillonA Caribbean Cinderella

By: Robert D. San Souci

Nannin’ was a washerwoman in the Caribbean. Before her mother died, she left her with one thing: a wand of mahogany. Whenever she tapped the wand three times, one thing would change into another. One of her bosses, made Nannin’ the godmother of her baby, Cendrillon. The mother died, the father remarried a heartless woman, and the two had another daughter. The stepmother made Cendrillon work like a servant, and forbade her from going to the birthday ball for the Monsieur’s son. Knowing that the ball meant so much to Cendrillon, Nannin’ used her magic wand to help her. Cendrillon went to the dance, and fell in love with the Monsieur’s son. When rushing to return home before the magic wore off, she lost her pink slipper. The son vowed to find the owner of the shoe, for he had fallen in love with her. After much trouble, he found Cendrillon, and the two were soon married.

I would use this story in my during a literacy unit on cultures' influence on writing and stories. I would have the students read Cendrillon and the classic Cinderella. We would discuss how the two stories differ, and how they are alike. The students would make a Venn diagram showing the similarities and differences of the two versions of the fairytale. Then I would have the students create their own version of Cinderella. This would be an open assignment, where the students could choose to make a comic strip, song, poem, or play detailing their story. The students would then share their new versions with the class.