Once upon a time, in Mexico . . . in Ireland . . . in Zimbabwe . . . there lived a girl who worked all day in
the rice fields . . . then spent the night by the hearth, sleeping among the cinders.
Her name is Ashpet, Sootface, Cendrillon . . . Cinderella. Her story has been passed down the centuries and across
continents. Now Paul Fleischman and Julie Paschkis craft its many versions into one hymn to the rich variety and
the enduring constants of our cultures.