Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story

Bibliography

De Paola, Tomie. 2002. Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella story. Ill. by Tomie de Paola. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399238662

Plot Summary

Adelita is cherished by her widowed father and raised by her nurse Esperanza. When her father gets remarried Adelita welcoming to her new stepmother and stepsisters. When Adelita’s father dies suddenly, Adelita’s stepmother fires Esperanza and forces Adelita to be the kitchen maid. One day an invitation arrives for a party being thrown to welcome home Javier, a handsome neighbor. Adelita and her stepsisters are eager to attend the party, but Adelita is forbidden from attending by her stepmother.

Esperanza comes to the rescue with a beautiful dress and an embroidered rebozo (a shawl) to wear to the party. When Adelita arrives, she calls herself Cenicienta (Cinderella) because she is in disguise and spends the evening dancing with Javier. At midnight, Javier gives Adelita a kiss, which causes her to run away because she is sure his family would never allow him to marry a maid.

The next day Javier comes to town to search for his Cenicienta. Adelita’s stepsisters are eager for a second chance to impress Javier. Adelita hangs her mother’s reboza from her window so Javier will see it and know where to find her. Once he has found her, Javier proposes and they live happily ever after just like Cenicienta and her Principe.

Critical Analysis

Tomie de Paola’s literary tale set in Mexico follows the familiar Cinderella storyline, except that, in this version of Cinderella there is no magic. The dress and cart are provided by the nurse who helped raise her, and it is cold feet that cause her to run away at midnight. The watercolor illustrations depict traditional Mexican architecture and culture. The illustrations show religious décor, Mexican pottery, and food such as tortillas and chiles.

Review Excerpts

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: “The sentences are often short and choppy, but the tale is sprinkled with Spanish phrases explained within the text (a glossary is also included) that add fluidity to the storytelling.”

MultiCultural Review: “This retelling is an exceptional resource to use for compare/contrast studies with other Cinderella stories. [The book] is a must-buy for every elementary setting and study of the Cinderella tale.”

Connections

* Compare and contrast this version of Cinderella to other versions.

* Compare the depictions of Mexican culture in this book to books about life in modern Mexico.

Other Mexican themed books by Tomie de Paloa:

De Paola, Tomie. 1997. The legend of the poinsettia. ISBN 0698115678