The Irish Cinderlad

This is a retelling of an Irish Cinderella story, focused on a young, pure-hearted man instead of a woman. Shirley Climo has written several picture books. I got my hands on this one at Williamsburg Regional Library, but saw that there were many others on the shelf. I had never before heard the story of the Irish Cinderlad, so it was a lot of fun to read, anticipating events because I know the traditional story of Cinderella, but also filled with surprised I couldn’t have expected. Not intended to be a humorous or silly version of a fairy tale, but instead a more serious story of Becan, a farm boy whose mother died and father remarried a woman with three nearly grown daughters. Becan’s story is remarkably fantastical, with a magical bull who feeds Becan with a feast held in his ear and a tail as strong as a sword, a giant with large shoes that are just Becan’s size, and even a dragon that Becan must slay to win the heart of the princess. There are no balls and technically no cinders, but the princess and her men search for over a year for the man who fits the giant’s boots.

I read this story to a 4-yr-old before bed time last week. Though it is a long picture book with many words, it held his attention. The illustrations are full bleed and very colorful, with bold colors and large characters that demonstrate a close-up perspective. The text is set into white text boxes. Originating from an Irish legend, I thought the magical bull was a strange addition, but the Author’s Note informs the reader that “a cow with a white face and red ears was considered an enchanted creature.” I think I enjoyed the Author’s Note as much as the actual story, though the text was very clever at times.

“How grand!” cried the princess when he arrived at the castle. “We’re just the same height, sir, so I know we’ll see eye to eye on everything.”