The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story Hardcover – Picture Book, November 1, 2000

I'm not too into the whole princess/Cinderella thing. However, my 5 yr. old daughter is... and for that genre, this is a great version. She first found this book at our local library, and fell in love with it. First of all, the story is written well, and the language is pleasurable to read. The pictures are beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors and descriptive imagery. The story and illustrations have an exotic island flair, which is a nice departure from the stereotypical disney-esque cookie-cutter pattern, although the story is basically a classic Cinderella tale, with a little more emphasis on the natural world. In it, the fairy godmother is an ancient crocodile who produces a sarong that sparkles and looks like the evening sky. Altogether, it's enjoyable even for this mom who generally avoids the princess/prince thing.

What beautiful illustrations! It's amazing to me to find a classic folk tale from Halmahera published in such a beautiful format. I would love to see it translated into Bahasa Indonesia!

The book arrived in good time and was in great condition. I will be using this for a Fairy Tale Unit in my classroom.

My stoudents enjoyed this fairy tale very much!

My students liked this book and were intrigued but the differences from the traditional Cinderella story. They loved the illustrations as well.

This version of the Cinderella fairytale comes from the Spice Islands. Damura's mother teaches her traditional dances and to respect the animals. When she dies, Damura is tricked into convincing her father to marry another woman in the village, who soon turns on Damura, treating her as a slave for herself and her daughter. When Damura is doing laundry at the river, she loses her old sarong, but Grandmother Crocodile gives her another made of silver. The stepsister tries to repeat Damura's success, but after spanking a baby crocodile and being short with Grandmother Crocodile, she is given a ragged sarong covered in leeches. When the prince holds a ball to choose a bride, the stepmother and stepsister leave Damura at home, stealing her silver sarong. However, Grandmother Crocodile once again gifts the girl with a beautiful sarong, made out of gold, and matching slippers.Like other Cinderella stories, she loses a slipper at the ball, but the prince uses it to track Damura down. Unlike most other versions, Damura's story continues, as her stepmother and stepsister apologize, wishing to be friends. They take her on a boat ride, but then toss her overboard, where a crocodile eats her. When the prince tells Grandmother Crocodile of what happened, she gathers the other reptiles around her and forces the guilty croc to spit her out. Grandmother Crocodile brings Damura back to life and promises her and her children protection forever.Fans of the Cinderella story will enjoy this Indonesian version. Sierra's writing is clever and humorous, but also echoes the traditional narration style. The varying details in this story will keep readers fascinated. The author's note at the end of the book explains the different influences used in her story, including a short history of the Cinderella story itself. Ruffins' artwork is bold, mixing bright acrylic paints with miniature silhouettes. The illustrations vary between wide, two-page spread landscapes to intense close-ups of characters. The trees, rivers, and figures flow and weave together and evoke the landscape of the story.

Greatest Cinderella story

This is another really good 'Cinderella' book to add to your collection. It is just a little bit different in that the fairy god mother is a crocodile and the setting is in the Spice Islands. It is colorful and very unique. I like it a lot and so have my own children. It's fun to read the different versions of Cinderella and this one is definitely one worth keeping. When I used it at school, I kept a globe with me so we could see where the Spice Islands were and that made it really interesting to the children. We had a lot of fun with this book.