Title: The Orphan – A Cinderella Story from Greece
Authors: Anthony L. Manna & Soula Mitakidou
Illustrator: Giselle Potter
Publisher: Reading Glass Books
ISBN: 979-8894790589
Pages: 40
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Literature
Reviewer: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
The synergy of talent among authors Anthony L. Manna & Soula Mitakidou, combined with artistic illustrations by Giselle Potter, has resulted in a “Notable Award” children’s fable titled, The Orphan – A Cinderella Story from Greece.
From the very beginning, readers are immersed in a tale of a young girl tragically losing her mother and having her father remarry to a mean woman with her own daughters. In Greece, it is said a child becomes an orphan when they lose their mother, although their father may still be alive, hence our protagonist is an orphan. The story progresses like the folklore tale known to the world over about a subservient girl marrying a prince. Interestingly, upon researching the origin of the story, it originally was a Greek tale, the oldest known oral version of the Cinderella story is the ancient Greek story of Rhodopis, a Greek courtesan who marries the King of Egypt.
This book is a masterpiece. The text brings together elements of drama, emotion, hope and faith interleaved with extraordinary illustrations exemplifying Greek facial characteristics and fantasy occurrences. The “White Mare” of a horse morphing from a cloud becomes credible to the story’s theme. I was impressed with the scene when the orphan girl visited her mother’s grave and heard her mother speak to her from the dead, saying, “Go, my child, go to good, With all my blessings, go!…”
In this version of Cinderella, the slipper was not made of glass but was the only detail remaining from the visit of the beautiful girl of which the prince’s guards were able to recover when the girl escaped – in this case by throwing coins in the path of the pursuing guards causing people to scramble to pick up the coins blocking the guard’s capture. The way in which the prince searched the village for the girl whose foot fits the slipper and would become his wife was the same theme of the Brother’s Grimm version and becomes one of the fundamental story elements.
This story has been told for centuries, essentially providing hope for youngsters wishing to emerge from some form of suppression and become wealthy and happy for the rest of their lives. The illustrations show traditional Greek clothing and architecture are beautifully rendered, offering a window into the culture behind this unique Cinderella variation. A beautiful collaboration of text and images, The Orphan – A Cinderella Story from Greece is a book which should adorn the library of all families with children – especially those with some form of Greek heritage. A magical retelling of a timeless classic with a Greek twist!
