Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (Internatioinal Literature)

Yeh-Shen, retold by Ai-Ling Louie and illustrated by Ed Young, is a Chinese Cinderella story. After the death of both parents, Yeh-Shin is left in the care of her step-mother. Yeh-Shen is much prettier than her step-sister, so she is made to do all of the chores. Her only friend is a fish which her step-mother kills. Yeh-Shen is able to use the fish bones to transform her rags into beutiful clothes. She goes to the festival where she loses her shoe as her clothes transform back into rags. The king goes in pursuit of the owner of the shoe, and Yeh-Shin and the king get married. I feel that this is an excellent book to use in a classroom. I would use this book when discussing cultures in social studies. I would especially use this book if I had any Chinese students in my classroom. I feel it is important to make students feel welcomed, and Chinese students would most likely be familiar with the story. It is also important to point out that this story is much older than any Western version of Cinderella.