Cinder Edna
According to Jackson, the famous Cinderella (here cast as a feckless modern suburbanite) has a neighbor, Cinder Edna. Each does household chores for a nasty stepmother and stepsisters, but while dainty Ella plays the martyr, uncomplaining Edna learns some practical skills ("such as how to make tuna casserole sixteen different ways"). On the night of the ball, as the fairy godmother alights next door, Edna, who "didn't believe in fairy godmothers," dons a dress she has bought on layaway and comfortable penny loafers, and hops the bus to the palace. There she jitterbugs with the prince's Rick Moranis-esque brother Rupert (a virtual poster boy for liberal causes, Rupert "runs the recycling plant and a home for orphaned kittens"). The other Cindy only sways to the music ("She was afraid of mussing her hair, and she knew those fragile glass slippers would break if she danced too hard"), and the crown prince is vain and dull. O'Malley's ( Bruno, You're Late for School! ) nicely executed, cleverly detailed spreads contrast Cinderella's fantasy glow with Edna's clear-eyed, can-do attitude. This Cinderella send-up is full of kid-pleasing jokes and, besides, it's never too early to discover the hazards of codependence. Ages 4-up.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.