Sleeping Ugly

Yolen, Jane. 1981. SLEEPING UGLY. by Diane Stanley. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc. ISBN 0-698-30721-6

PLOT SUMMARY

Presented is a fractured fairy tale based on Sleeping Beauty. The story deals with Miserella and Plain Jane. One is undoubtedly beautiful on the exterior, but wicked and heartless. The other is kind and a lover of animals, but as plain as she can be. Through a series of events, both Miserella and Plain Jane and even the Fairy fall into the 100 year sleep. A prince kisses two out of the three and there is, of course, a happily ever after.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Like a good fairy tale, Miserella is thoroughly wicked. In contrast there is not a drop of iniquity in Plain Jane and is the poster child for kindness. Yolen includes humor that caused me to laugh out loud! When Miserella states Plain Jane has made a stupid choice the Fairy replies, "Do not call someone stupid unless you have been properly introduced, or are a member of the family." I laughed out loud so many times that my students HAD to find out what I was reading and WHY was it so funny? If this does not make a great read-aloud, I don't know what does. The story was fast paced paced and had plenty of action. Also like a good fairy tale, the bad guy, in this case a spoiled rotten princess, got what she deserved: perpetual sleep and Plain Jane, got the prince and lived happily ever after. I loved the fact that Plain Jane was never transformed into a beautiful princess. Her looks remained plain and in spite of that - the prince chose her over the beautiful Miserella. The prince had three cousins just like Miserella, "Pretty on the outside. Ugly within." The story was a breath of fresh air in the sense that it was a break from Disney's equation of beauty equates kindness.

REVIEWS

"Yolen pokes fun at the patterned Sleeping-princess story in a tale that's written with brisk simplicity and humor...it is amusing, it has plenty of action, and it's easy to read". -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A light, bright twist on the romantic tale". From Kirkus Reviews

CONNECTIONS

Since the story provided an alternate view of Sleeping Beauty, students could use the story to invent their own versions of Sleeping Beauty - or in this case, Sleeping Ugly. A good activity prior to the actual writing would be a contrasting and comparing of the two fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty and Sleeping Ugly.

Adelita

DePaola, Tomie. 2002. ADELITA A MEXICAN CINDERELLA STORY by Tomie DePaola. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 0-399-23866-2

PLOT SUMMARY
The story is set in old Mexico and covers the life of Adelita. Like Cinderella, she looses her mother and eventually her father, but acquires a wicked stepmother. Two dreadful stepsisters make her life difficult, but Adelita's nanny provides her with love. There is no fairy godmother and no glass slipper, but there is a party and a single prince. There is also a happily ever after.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The setting is in the familiar "long ago" and the dilemma is quickly set: the evil stepmother and wicked stepsisters are determine to make Adelita a very unhappy young girl. A nanny takes the place of the fairy godmother and unlike in Cinderella, there is no glass slipper, but a scarlet shawl. Curiously enough, Cinderella is mentioned in the story. When the party is over and the the mysterious new girl vanishes, everyone is left wondering who she was. The stepmother states -to her relief - that there is no glass slipper like in the fairytale. The simple, but colorful and beautiful illustrations, the use of Spanish within the story, and the authentic images of old Mexico make this an unforgettable book. While the book included many Spanish phrases, my students enjoyed it when it was read aloud. The Spanish phrases, followed by the English translation, didn't make for a choppy read, but provided an explanation of the words. De Paola includes a list of Spanish phrases used in the book that could be a great tool for teachers.
My students have heard other variations of Cinderella, but without a doubt this is the one with which they most identified. My students recognized the crucifixes, the Virgin Mary, the clay pots, the spicy green peppers, and the Spanish words and phrases. Adelita had a name that sounded familiar and this Cinderella shared their skin tone. This book validated their culture!


REVIEWS
The prose is straightforward and crisp, though the habit of including a Spanish phrase that is translated immediately afterward (e.g., "Soy yo-only me-" or "-mi peque-ita-my little one-") interrupts the narrative flow. However, this is a minor quibble given the beauty of dePaola's signature artwork. From School Library Journal
DePaola tweaks just enough details to make his version fresh; his liberal use of Spanish phrases (translated within the text) and cultural details enlighten as they enliven. From Publishers Weekly
CONNECTIONS
While this book validates the Mexican culture it can also be a great tool to introduce the Mexican culture to others. A great number of cultural connections could be made with this book. Since it includes many different Spanish words and phrases, students could begin a Spanish/English dictionary. This book could also be a great starting point to begin Hispanic Heritage themes. The book presents, simple, yet rich and colorful illustrations. It lends itself to promote art. Many times my students feel their drawings are not good enough. The simplicity of the illustrations presented here could ease any student's mind.