The Cinderella story is inherently flawed, but I love returning to this version for the beautiful illustrations and zanier and dastardly plot twists I like in a lot of traditional folklore, particularly from the Middle and Far East. ( )

In the first English retelling of this ancient Cambodian tale, our heroine goes further, survives more, and has to conquer her own mortality to ragain her rightful place. Angkatchild of ashesendures great wrongs as she seeks to rise above the distresses caused by her own family. Angkat appeared in an 18th century French essay which was found by Dr. Coburn deep in some dusty archives while she was researching Khmer culture and folklore. The artist effectively employed dramatic expressions, gestures, and ambiance in each illustration. This ancient and truly captivating version of the Cinderella story will delight and enthrall readers of all ages.

I liked this book for three reasons. First, the author, Jewell Reinhart Coburn, did a great job of incorporating Cambodian culture and Kherma into the classic tale of Cinderella. For example, when Angkat's father remarries another widow with a daughter, Angkat is forced to compete for "Number One". The "Number One" child is given much more privilege whereas the "Number Two" is basically the family's servant. Angkat's stepsister, Kantok, has similar qualities of Cinderella's stepsisters; she's lazy, sneaky, and selfish and wants nothing more but to take Angkat down. Second, I liked that just as much as it was similar to Cinderella, it was different. For example, in the original tale of Cinderella, her father passes away whereas in Angkat's story, her father is alive throughout and eventually turns on her as well. Angkat is constantly battling her overly jealous father, step-mother, and step-sister. In Angkat's story, the events leading up to the "slipper" scene are changed to relate to Cambodian culture. The story also has a very spiritual side to it as well. Last, the illustrations are intriguing and pleasant to the eye. Filled with a lot of detail, you truly get the cultural feel in this book. The illustrator, Eddie Flotte, uses mostly cool-purple tones in his pictures.
Overall, throughout the story, I was intrigued and engaged. It was different to read this classic tale from a different cultural persepctive. I was constantly making comparisons between the two to pinpoint which scenes correlated with each other.

This fairy tale tells a story about a Cambodian Cinderella. Her name is Angkat and she also lives with her step-mother and one step-sister. This story is a little different from the original version because it is from the Cambodian Culture. There are differences to this story but the story line is the same. My interpretation on this book was exactly as the original version of Cinderella, the way you treat other people. The illustrations in this book are water colored and very dull. There are not bright pictures drawn and the characters aren't outlined so it looks very watery and dull. However, the text was very easy to read. Big and bold on the pages and it looked as if the texts were bunched together in one corner of the page. A teacher can use this book to show how different the Cinderella versions are! It shows different cultures and how one story can be turned into something so different yet so similar. ( )

This is a variant on the Cinderella story from Cambodia. Anghat is given the sandals by a spirit after she's been betrayed and mistreated by her stepmom and stepsister and even her father. The sandals lead her to a prince, but her jealous family turns violent. Things are set to rights with more magic. ( )