Cindy-Ella

Cindy-Ella
by: Tom Champion

courtesy Google Books

While in Australia we did a lot of business at the post office.  Periodically the post would have books on sale.  They would be all sealed up in plastic so you couldn't leaf through them to see exactly what it was you were getting.  The prices were good, though (books in Australia are much, much, much more expensive than here in the US) so it was generally worth taking the chance.  Once, I got a pack of books that included Cindy-Ella.

Cindy-Ella has become a favorite bedtime story around here, and honestly it's a fantastic version of Cinderella.  You all know the story, and this is full of Aussie twists.  Cindy is the youngest step-sister and she has to her sisters chores like "Feed the budgies, Cleaning the dunny. Cooking the meat pies for tea. Hanging their undies on the line."  The ball is a sheep shearers mingle, her fairy godmother is a god-nanna with a wattle branch for a wand, and her glass slippers are thongs (flip flops to us Yanks).

This book is full of the Aussie colloquialisms, some of which we used to hear on a daily basis, some we hardly heard at all.  All of which we're glad to preserve in a story for our son to remember his days in the land down under.

Recommended Age: Preschool - 8