Cinderella

Once upon a time, there was a princess who everyone thought was a boy. She dressed in boy’s clothes and wore boy’s shoes. She was certainly no Helen of Troy.

As she got older and her clothes got shabbier, her parents got crabbier

“Why haven’t you found a husband yet? Get married soon or you’ll make me fret!” The queen screamed one morning this wasn’t the first warning.

The princess stood on her feet, her mother’s eyes she would not meet.

“I won’t find a husband, mom, I’m g--” The princess coughed

“You have by next week” Then her mother was off

Soon after, the invitations were sent, the decorations were up and the food was made. The princess was 

dolled up and she looked so innocent and sweet. “Please don’t let me find anyone here” she prayed

The princes arrived and each one looked debonair from their shoes to their hair.

The princess danced with each one but she found all of them to be a bore. She would never dance again she swore.

Suddenly, at the top of the stairs, the most beautiful man appeared. He was so good looking, all of the other princes just sneered.

Their eyes met, their arms embraced, she started to smile for the first time all night. Could it really be love at first sight?

They danced and danced, she refused to dance with anyone else. She refused to give any of the other princes a second glance.

The clock struck midnight and all of a sudden the prince had a look of fright!

“What’s wrong?” The princess asked. The prince looked around worried that he didn’t belong.

The prince ran up the stairs as quickly as he came. The princess realized she didn’t even know his name.

Soon after he left, the sad princess ran after him but by the time she reached the doors, he was gone and the chances she would find him were slim.

In the corner of her eye, the princess spied a red hankie.  

“I think that is his!” the princess exclaimed and her sadness began to fizz.

She would search the kingdom far and wide for the mysterious prince. If she married him surly her mother wouldn’t wince.

So she went on the hunt with the queen in tow. The queen was so happy and so excited her cheeks were all aglow!

As the day grew into night and the search party grew weary, hopes of finding the prince grew dreary.

The search party came to the last house. Hopefully this house would hold her spouse.

The princess knocked and the door creaked open to reveal the mysterious prince. He smiled, her jaw dropped. It’s as if time had stopped.

The prince’s eyes shone.

However, the princess’ eyes seemed to roam.

The princess’ eyes landed on the beautiful petite girl who dressed in rags who stood further behind the door. Just on looks alone, the small girl was all the princess was looking for.

It was love at first sight. The other girl must of felt it too because her face had the look of excitement (in her own right).

The princess pushed pass the prince and rushed to the girl. “What is your name?” she asked in a whisper.

“Cinderella” the girl said as she gave her hair a twirl.

“Come away with me to the castle” the princess said “I want you to be my wife. You will never live a life of strife”.

Cinderella happily agreed for the princess is also just who Cinderella was looking for, just what Cinderella needs.

“This is who I chose to be my partner for life. Cinderella will come to the castle to be my wife”

Her mother stood with her mouth agape but then, her face softened into a cool smile. “I accept you for who you are my sweet daughter. If you love her, then marry her”. And with that blessing from the queen, Cinderella and the princess were in good shape.

Cinderella looked to her evil brother and smiled proudly. Looks like the magic and fairy godmothers that her brother used doesn’t always lead to happy endings Cinderella thought as she laughed loudly. 

Looking on the Outside

The book I am writing about is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

When I think of books on social issues, I primarily think about books that are about overt social issues like homosexuality or issues like that. The Outsiders is a good example of what I would consider a social issue book that doesn't exactly bring the social issues to the forefront.

The Outsiders brings the social issue of peer pressure and gangs to the minds of kids. I think it's interesting that S.E. Hinton writes from one character's point of view instead of writing from an objective third person view. I think writing from the one character makes it more relatable to children and makes it more of an easier read.

The peer pressure to be in a gang and join certain cliques in childrens' lives makes this book something that should be read in schools. The first time I read this book was in middle school right when cliques were starting to form. At the time, I didn't realize the social significance of the book. This book is good to open up conversations on peer pressure, family, and social groups.

Controversy

The book I would like to discuss is Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoit. I feel like we have talked about this book a lot in class but I don't think I have ever expressed my opinion about it.

I thought it was interesting how the book took a positive approach to homosexuality. It certainly felt unbiased to me. The author's decision to make it from the child's point of view is important to make it more relatable and simpler for children to understand. The book did not go into detail fully about what homosexuality is and the controversy surrounding it which, I thought, was perfect for introducing the topic to children, especially children of homosexual couples.

I just read this book in class this past Friday. I think it is interesting that there are children's books that deal with heavy, controversial subjects like homosexuality and divorce. I can't recall reading children's books on heavy subjects when I was younger. However, I think it is important to have books like this in order to open up conversation about more serious topics. In my opinion, kids shouldn't be raised to think the world is full of rainbows and donuts. Dependent on their age, basic conversations about homosexuality, divorce and other types of heavy issues should be discussed at least at the surface level with children especially if they are bought up or questioned by their inquiring minds.