![]() ![]() “Have you ever wondered why you are here?” asks the second-person narration. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.Ī young child explores the unlimited potential inherent in all humans. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. ![]() Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. Sonke’s ( The Little i Who Lost His Dot, 2018) kinetic, detailed illustrations do a great job of conveying Scarlet’s artistic journey from the conventional to freely swirling shapes and bright colors.Ī fine celebration of freedom, creativity, and self-expression.Ī retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting. Although it might seem desirable to have a brush that can create faultless images, Scarlet is shown to discover a greater power in making art herself. Perfectionism can start young, so Stoller ( Return to Coney Island, 2017, etc.) provides a useful change of perspective in this book. With a regular brush, though, she can create the shapes and hues she now likes-with her own magic. When she rediscovers the lost brush, there’s a problem: The “perfect” paintings aren’t exactly what Scarlet wants. Nevertheless, she does like her new, strong lines and bold shapes. She tries painting with her left hand or using a stick-and–cotton-ball implement, but perfection still eludes her. Her parents give her new paintbrushes, but Scarlet finds her efforts disappointing because the images aren’t “perfect”-or often, even recognizable. Scarlet, a freckle-faced, redheaded white girl, once found a magic paintbrush, and ever since, she’s been able to make any image appear perfectly on her canvases. A girl learns to appreciate paintings that come from her own brush in this children’s picture book. ![]()
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