Cinderella

By William Wegman, with Carole Kismaric and Marvin Heiferman

William Wegman tells the classic story of Cinderella with a new spin.  Instead of illustrations of people, he illustrates the story with photos of weimaraner dogs dressed up as the characters of this popular tale.  Amazingly, the dogs' faces actually reflect each character's personality.  For example, Cinderella's face and eyes show humility and sadness, while the stepmother's face shows anger and bitterness.

The story begins by describing the abusive manner in which the stepmother and her daughters treat Ella after her father's death, making her do all the work in the house.  She develops her nickname, Cinderella, when the stepsisters make fun of her as she cleans the fireplaces and is covered with ashes.  An invitation to a gala ball arrives, and Cinderella is told she can't go because her gown was "sent overseas by mistake."  After her stepmother and stepsisters leave, Cinderella makes herself a dress, but when she realizes she has no shoes for the ball, she cries herself to sleep.  She is soon awakened by her fairy godmother, who gets her ready and sends her off to the ball, but makes her promise to return by midnight.  At the ball, Cinderella is the center of attention and spends the evening dancing with the prince, but must run away to make it home by midnight.  She loses a glass slipper, which the prince uses to find her and marry her.

Most traditional fantasies have characters that represent good and evil, and Cinderella is no exception.  Throughout the story, Cinderella symbolizes good, and her stepmother and stepsisters represent evil.  For instance, every description of Cinderella demonstrates her lovely appearance and good character.  The book states that "it was not in Ella's nature to complain, nor was she offended by the nicknames inflicted upon her."  Her good nature is continuously demonstrated to the end when she allows her stepmother and stepsisters to move in to the castle with her when she marries the prince. On the other hand, the stepmother's mean personality is demonstrated when Cinderella realizes that "a smiling stepmother was not necessarily a good sign," for "she smiled with each new chore and thankless task she thought up for Ella."

Traditional fantasies usually have a plot involving a quest with many obstacles.  In the case of Cinderella, her quest to is go to the ball, and her fairy godmother comes to her aid to surpass the many obstacles that face Cinderella.  The photographs delightfully illustrate Cinderella's many challenges and depict her triumph in the end.