1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Warhola, James. 1998. BIGFOOT CINDERRRRRELLA. by Tony Johnston. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399230211
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this unique version of CINDERELLA, the plot is basically the same as the original story. There is a prince looking for a bride, a family consisting of a mean mother, her two daughters, and her unloved and unwanted step-daughter named Ella. What makes this story different from the original is that these characters are all Bigfoots. Instead of the price being handsome and charming, he is ugly, hairy, and smelly. He is looking for a wife who is just like him. All the Bigfoot women in the old growth forest want to marry him. The Bigfoot prince hosted a "great fun feast" where there were gifts, food, and games. His favorite game was logrolling. The Bigfoot prince let everyone in the forest know that if a Bigfoot woman rolled him off of the log and into the river, she would be the woman he would marry. Ell's step-sisters go off to the great fun fest and leave Ella alone to catch fish for dinner. As Ella is fishing, she makes a wish on a fish that leapt momentarily out of the water. This wish is then granted by her "Beary Godfather", a bear she had met previously. On their first meeting Ella saw that the bear was hungry and gave him all of the fish that she had caught. Ella's wish to go to the great fun fest and dunk the prince was granted when the bear gave her an enormous pair of clogs so that her feet would stay on the log during the logrolling game. She was told to be home by sundown or that she would have flowers in her fur and it would no longer be matted. Like the glass slipper, one clog was left behind as Ella ran home as the sun went down. The prince found and married Ella, whose gigantic feet fit into the clog perfectly.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The characters in this humorous story were ugly, hairy, smelly, and large. This is in sharp contrast to the characters in the traditional story of Cinderella, where the prince is handsome, the mean step-sisters are ugly, and Cinderella is beautiful. Johnston used similes throughout the story in his descriptions of the characters. The Bigfoot prince was "smelly as a fish" with a voice "as rough as bark" while Ella had "feet like log canoes" and was "shaggy as the forest floor." His descriptions were so vivid that a reader could "see" the characters even in the absence of illustrations.
Warhola's illustrations of the scenery in the forest are painted in a realistic style. The trees are painted in deep shades of green and medium shades of brown. The Bigfoot characters are painted as a cross between humans and monsters, with great detail given to facial expressions, individual teeth, and the curls on the hair of one of the step-sisters. Movement is conveyed by streaks and swishes of paint as the fish jumps out of the water and Ella dunks the prince into the water.
The theme of this story is that one should have respect for nature and treat everyone kindly. Kindness should be shown to both animals and humans (well, in this case, Bigfoots) no matter how they look or their size. The theme of being kind to nature is apparent as the Bigfoot prince yells "No pick flowers!" to the step-sisters who are caught in the forest picking wildflowers and draping them around their bodies. "For fun, (the step-sisters) threw rocks at spotted owls." Ella was described as loving nature and harming no creature.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "The uproarious story is further energized by Warhola's luminous, hilarious paintings. Throughout the fun is a gentle reminder of the book's underlying message to protect the forest."
School Library Journal: "The troll-like Bigfoot population lives joyfully among wild animals in a forest paradise. Large, bright paintings in greens, browns, and gold depict the large-nosed, big-toed heroine and her "odoriferous" love interest."
Publishers Weekly: "What becomes a Bigfoot most? This silly twist on a favorite fairy tale clears up that question (and more) with humor and style."
5. CONNECTIONS
This book is perfect for a discussion on fairy tales or looking at alternate versions of the classic story, CINDERELLA.
*Other books by Tony Johnston:
CAT, WHAT IS THAT? ISBN 0060277424
MY BEST FRIEND BEAR. ISBN 0873587758
*Other books by James Warhola
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. retold by Susan Pearson. ISBN 0671671960
THE WIZARDS AND THE MONSTER. by Bill Brittain. ISBN 0060244569
*Other alternate CINDERELLA stories:
Manning, Jane. CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA. by Susan Lowell. ISBN 0060274476
Lewis, T. CINDERELLA; CINDERELLA'S STEPSISTER. by Russell Shorto. ISBN 1559720549
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