"This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about love." Cinderella's story has been told over and over, but never has it been touched by the kind of magic created by the contributors of this book. Mary Blair painted the original pictures for Walt Disney's incomparable animated film, and here her elegant art is gathered together as a picture book. Cynthia Rylant's stories about hardscrabble lives have won not only awards and honors, but hearts. Who better to take a young girl from the darkness of her garret room to the light and brilliance of a ballroom? Together these two great artists have created something quite astonishing: a Cinderella that is breathtaking, heartrending, and joyous, both for those who are coming to the tale for the very first time, and for those who think they know it well. Cynthia Rylant has written many distinguished books for young readers, including the Newbery Medal winner Missing May, the Newbery Honor Book A Fine White Dust, the Caldecott Honor Book The Relatives Came (illustrated by Stephen Gammell), and the Caldecott Honor Book When I Was Young in the Mountains (illustrated by Diane Goode). She is also the author of the popular beginning-reader series Henry and Mudge, Poppleton, and Mr. Putter and Tabby. She lives in Oregon.
