Since she was a toddler, the story of Cinderella has been my daughter’s favorite fairy tale. Most of the us are familiar with the classic Disney retelling of the tale, but did you know one of the very first Cinderella stories is the Chinese folk tale? I personally grew up with Vietnamese’s Tam Cam, who befriended a magical fish.
Some of these multicultural Cinderellas played a much more active role in her destiny and will empower your daughters to take control of their own lives. Here’s a few Cinderella stories from around the world to read with your kids.
Cinderella Stories From Around the World
Vietnam: Tam and Cam by Minh Quoc and illustrated by Mai Long (Bilingual English/Vietnamese)
China: Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China Ai-Ling Louie
Algonquin: The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin
Caribbean: Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Greece: The Orphan: A Cinderella Story from Greece by Anthony Manna & Soula Mitakidou and illustrated by Giselle Potter
Islam: Cinderella: An Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani
Mexica: Adelita by Tomie dePaola
Laos: Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella by Jewell Reinhard Coburn and Tzexa Cherta Lee and illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien
India: Anklet for a Princess: A Cinderella Story from India by Meredith Brucker and Lila Mehta and illustrated by Youshan Tang
Persia/Middle East: The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo and illustrated Robert Florczak
Korea: The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo and illustrated by Ruth Heller
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
Ireland: The Irish Cinderlad by Shirley Climo and illustrated Krupinski
Indonesia: The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Reynolds Ruffins
Cuba: Adelaida: A Cuban Cinderella by Anna Monnar and illustrated Nancy Michaud
Philippines: Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella by Myrna J. de la Paz and illustrated by Youshan Tang
Cambodia: Angkat: The Cambodian Cinderella by Jewell Reinhart Coburn and illustrated by Eddie Flotte
Egypt: The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo and illustrated by Ruth Heller
Ojibiwa: Sootface by Robert D. San Souci
Don’t see your culture’s Cinderella story above? Try Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleishman and illustrated by Julie Paschkis.
Back in college, as a women's studies major I read and analysed tons of fairy tales. My favorite to read to my daughter (when she was young) were from books with titles like: Feminist Fairy Tales, And Don't Bet on the Prince. They told stories and parable in which the female was the lead/hero in her own life.
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