Genre: Childrens educational/Scholastic
Target Age Group: Ages 3-9 years
Runtime: Approx. 69 minutes
James Marshall's Cinderella - DVD Overview
Scholastic DVDs provide animated adaptations of beloved children's stories. The narration is exactly the words from the story, and the animation looks like the book illustrations. This Scholastic DVD contains the following popular children's stories:
- Cinderella: (By Barbara Karlin, Illustrated by James Marshall) A hard-working young girl is turned into a beautiful princess--but only for one magical night.
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Hansel and Gretel: (By James Marshall) Two poor children get lost in the woods and end up someplace they'd rather not be!
The Three Billy Goats Gruff: (By P.C. Asbjornsen, J. E. Moe, Illustrated by Marcia Brown) Follow the adventures of three billy goats named Gruff as they bravely hunt for fresh green grass to eat.
The Elves and the Shoemaker: (By Jacob Grimm, Illustrated by Jim LaMarche) A pair of elves secretly create an amazing pair of shoes for a poor but kindly shoemaker.
Bonus Story: The Fisherman and His Wife: (By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by Eleanor Hubbard) A man catches an enchanted fish who grants him wishes beyond his wildest imagination.
James Marshall's Cinderella - Guide Review
James Marshall's Cinderella story is quite different from the Disney version. It's not that the story itself is that different, but James Marshall's illustrations present a more ordinary picture of Cinderella. Because this Cinderella is not drawn as a perfect picture of beauty, the message of the story seems stronger. Cinderella won the heart of the prince because of her good nature and kindness, not because of magic or beauty.
Like Cinderella, the other classic stories told on the DVD also stem from the famous tales of the Brothers Grimm, with the exception of The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
The version of the billy goat story that is told on this DVD does contain some harsh language. The biggest billy goat uses his horns to poke the troll's eyes out. (The only thing shown in the illustration is the troll falling into the water).
James Marshall's Cinderella - DVD Special Features
- Special Read Along Function: Read along function can be turned on for all the stories on the DVD, which is great for beginning readers.
