|Illustration by STUDIO IBOIX|
and Michael Inman
Once upon a time, in Canada, Cinderella woke up and found a present from her prince. It was a warm winter coat. She thought he was so kind, and her mice friends, Gus and Jaq, agreed. She put on the coat and went out to find the prince, determined to thank him. Just then "the castle's cruel housekeeper entered the room". She shooed away the mice, and when they tried to hide from her, caught them in a trap! Meanwhile, Cinderella and the prince had gone out, riding their horses. As they passed the garden, Cinderella thought that the gardener looked suspiciously at them. It turned out that he had the mouse cage, and was letting Gus and Jaq free! He let them live in a stable, with hay to burrow in, and horses to keep them company. Soon, the prince found out that the mice were in the stable. He told Cinderella, and she was very happy. "Cinderelly! Cinderelly!' the mice shouted happily." A few days later, the prince held a fancy ball to honor the gardener. As for the housekeeper, she was on kitchen duty for life. With a million potatoes to peel, "she would never bother the mice again!"
From Cinderella and the Lost Mice, by E.C. Lopois, illustrated by STUDIO IBOIX and Michael Inman. Random House, New York.
Notes: What can I say? To millions of people, Cinderella means Disney. And lots of kids like this kind of book. So, what the heck.
Montessori Elementary Connection: Language/Vocabulary
1. Read this story and look for the following words: cruel, suspiciously, burrow, honor.
2. Try to guess what they mean.
3. Learn that cruel is mean, very mean.
4. Learn that suspiciously means to think that someone is going to hurt you or trick you, so you are very, very, careful of them. Too careful.
5. Learn that burrow means to dig down into and under something, such as when a child jumps into a big, cozy bed and snuggles down under the blanket, or an animal digs down into the earth.
6. Learn that honor is to show a special kind of respect for someone, because they have done something wonderful or brave.