Tattercoats

Bibliography:
Jacobs, Joseph. ed. And Margot Tomes, ill. Tattercoats. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 1989. ISBN-10 0399215840

Plot Summary:
Similar to the story of Cinderella, the story of Tattercoats is about the granddaughter of a rich, old lord who is mistreated because her birth killed the lord’s favorite daughter. Her only friends are her nanny and a gooseherd. One day she and the gooseherd meet a stranger in the forest and after watching her while listening to the gooseherd’s pipe, he invites her to the King’s ball, held in honor of the prince, where the stranger would introduce her as his bride in front of the King and all of the great lords and ladies.

Critical Analysis:
This is a very obvious Cinderella variant in that there is a poor girl without many friends and a prince who falls in love with and marries her. Some of the main differences between Tattercoats and the stereotypical Cinderella are that she has a family member still alive (her grandfather simply refuses to look at her), no sisters (step or otherwise), there is no fairy god-mother (instead there is a gooseherd) and not everybody lives happily ever after. It is this last aspect of the story that really causes it to differ from the Disney Cinderella, and the art work helps to understand and make sense of the ending because it is never bright and cheerful, but mellow and occasionally sobering. The children have the brightest clothes but they do not have the carefree sparkle in their eyes that so many children book characters have, allowing the reader to know that the children are the bright spot in the story but that even they have to live with reality.

Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal: “The story is a quiet celebration with just a twinge of sadness, for even though the granddaughter exchanges her tattered rags for the shining robes of a prince's wife, her grandfather will not break his vow never to look on her face. Thus, the last picture is the same as the first, with the old lord "weeping more bitterly than ever, as he looks out over he sea." In between, of course, magic happens, but not the obvious magic of a fairy godmother or a powerful potion or a magic wand. Here it is the true, if more subtle, magic of love. Somber gray-browns predominate in Tomes' illustrations, with the yellows and pale blues of the children's clothing providing spots of light. Strong lines of streets or paths or doorways provide perspective and draw viewers into the pictures. The attention to architectural detail, as well as to the details of the text, are visual delights, while the facial expressions and body language of minor characters provide humor for this tale in which not everyone lives happily ever after.”
Publisher’s Weekly: “Long, flowing sentences and traditional language stylize this familiar tale. Tomes's elegant paintings delicately capture and extend the emotions in the story; grays, beiges and pale pastel colors, outlined and embellished with fine strokes, re-create the simplicity and nobility of the era.”

Connections:
Here are other variations on the Cinderella story:
Climo, Shirley and Ruth Heller, ill. The Egyptian Cinderella. ISBN 9780064432795
Martin, Rafe. The Rough-Face Girl. ISBN 9780698116269
Louise, Ai-Ling. Yeh-Shen. ISBN 9780698113886